I imagine things, that there are people over the house. It’s pre-electricity, so to see what he’s doing, he turns on the gas lights which then reduces the gas flow to the other lights in the house, and they all dim.Įvery night upon his return, his wife regales her experiences with the mysterious dimming lights and unexplained sounds: “I hear noises and footsteps. Each night, the husband leaves the house under the guise of going to his office but instead climbs into the attic where he’s doing something nefarious (I won’t spoil it for you). The term originated subsequent to the 1944 film, Gaslight, in which a woman’s husband is up to no good. If you’ve been reading this weekly letter for a while, you may remember me talking about the concept of gaslighting. One such weapon is the term, gaslighting.

They build up arsenals of information and weaponize them for drama-enticing purposes. However, this isn’t the case with Drama People. This little learning phenomenon sometimes happens innocently and with no malicious intent. But balancing that heater on the side of your tub may get you toasted. A friend tells you that bringing an electric space heater into your bathroom makes getting out of the tub on a cold night a toasty and pleasant experience.

“A little learning,” wrote 18th-century English poet, Alexander Pope, “is a dangerous thing.” I’ve often been guilty of misquoting Pope as having said, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” I guess that reflects my little learning.īut the point is the same: When one’s grasp of knowledge is insufficient, it’s application can do more harm than good.

Tired of the Drama by Alan Godwin