Pain Doesn’t Give You X-Ray Vision To Bullshit

I hate to break it to you, but No, you don’t have the power to see through bullshit.

People  assume that going through intense manipulation automatically turns you into some kind of human lie detector, but that’s not actually how it works. If anything, manipulation can make you less attuned to bullshit because it rewires how you interpret things.

It’s just a masterclass in projection. A traumatic past actually fuels cynicism, and you’re desperately searching for validation in the form of “I knew it” moments.

It’s like people think surviving a con artist means you’ll never get fooled again, but in reality, the experience of manipulation leaves you second-guessing yourself, hyper-fixating on details that don’t matter, overcorrecting and becoming paranoid, you’ll actually struggle to trust your own instincts after being bullied, hurt and gaslit for so long.

A recurring narrative I found within this rock stars fan community of people who try to align with ‘seeing through bullshit’  suggested that such adverse experiences like bullying or emotional abuse endows individuals with an enhanced ability to "see through bullshit," implying a heightened discernment of manipulation and deceit. However, this belief warrants a critical examination, as it conflates genuine perceptual acuity with personal biases and unresolved traumas, leading to misguided judgments and behaviours, one fantasy being that their idol is always right, and the feeling of ‘light or darkness’ because of it.

No, what feels light or heavy to you, is your own personal wants or needs, it has nothing to do with the rest of the world, just your personal perception.

The Complex Aftermath of Emotional Abuse

Surviving emotional abuse undeniably impacts our psychological framework. Research indicates that individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment, including emotional abuse, often develop attention biases toward negative information. This means you’re more attuned to negative cues in your environment, a hyper-vigilance rooted in past traumas. This is not a super power, it is an injury. While this heightened sensitivity can serve as a protective mechanism, it does not equate to an accurate detection of deceit or manipulation. Instead, it leads to OVER-interpretation of benign situations as threatening, reflecting a distortion rather than a clarity of perception. 

In simple terms, you become overly dramatic to cues you view as threats, like assuming someone posting a cat photo is them trying to flirt with a rockstar, or that someone benignly bitching about someone who hurt them is an all out attack.

You overreact to perceived threats. Threats your personal biases decide and then treat everyday situations like high-stakes drama.

You can’t see through bullshit. You see what you want to believe.

The conviction of possessing superior insight post-abuse leads to the projection of your insecurities onto others. These biases foster a sense of entitlement to judge or "call out" perceived faults in others, which may stem more from personal unresolved issues than any kind of objective assessment.

Ironically, the belief in one's heightened perceptual abilities for bullshit can actually perpetuate a cycle of abuse. Individuals may justify harsh or critical behavior towards others under the guise of exposing "bullshit," failing to recognize that their actions mirror the very abuse they once suffered. This misguided sense of empowerment can alienate others and hinder genuine interpersonal connections, as interactions become tainted by suspicion and unwarranted criticism.

True recovery from abuse involves acknowledging and addressing your own biases and vulnerabilities. One being that the world, is unfair and then accepting that. It requires a commitment to self-reflection and, often, professional guidance to dismantle the distorted perceptions formed as survival mechanisms. Cultivating empathy, both towards oneself and others, is an important in this process. Recognizing that past traumas can actually cloud judgment allows for more authentic and compassionate interactions, fostering healthier relationships and personal growth.

While the narrative that surviving bullying or emotional abuse grants an individual the ability to "see through bullshit" is compelling, and a nice fantasy, it oversimplifies the complex psychological aftermath of such experiences. Without careful introspection and healing, this belief leads to the projection of personal biases and the perpetuation of abusive behaviors. Embracing a path of genuine recovery and empathy offers a more constructive approach to overcoming past traumas and building meaningful connections.

So are you really ‘the beautiful people’ or are you just overly critical unhealed fans who are biased to the needs of a rockstar, and just want to believe they see through bullshit because it serves an egoic self serving fantasy.