Your point is well-taken, Trooper, Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! But personally I don't consider sharing REAL, genuine information as "gossip." If such things a reporting someone is "a selfish jerk" can be verified as fact, then it doesn't qualify as gossip for me. And the same goes if someone reports the truth when they say "John was fired from his last job for excessive tardiness" if that info came from the former employer. That study, "the Virtues of Gossip", is incorrect - in my opinion - to label genuine, useful information as gossip - just as I stated in my first sentence above. I maintain that they are stretching the definition of gossip TOO far.
Yes, good points. gossip and 'news' are two different things. I've often found that most gossip, is little more than a social game of 'telephone,' whereby the tale gets more and more distorted, as it's passed from one person to the next. This is precisely why gossip is destructive, because it may not even be truth, by the end of the 'phone chain.' I'm not flying above the ethical fray, by any means...we have all listened to gossip and gossiped about others before, but as time has gone on...I've seen how it hurts people. I have no desire to be part and parcel to hurting people. There are people who gossip a lot at my work; this can be heard through the whispering you pick up in the break room, or cubicles. I just don't want to be a part of it. It doesn't lead to anything positive, and doesn't edify my life or anyone else's. I think that's how I sort through things anymore, these days. I ask myself...does this person, does this situation, does this thought process...edify my life? Might this degrade another person's life If the answers are no and yes, respectively...then, I try my best to avoid it. I'll say this though. When people realize you're not willing to listen to their gossip anymore, you may start to feel...like a bit of an outcast. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! But, I'd rather stand for what I believe in, even if I'm standing alone. lol...yes, SOME ladies can be catty, indeed. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I've often wondered why that is...why some women go out of their way to hurt other women. 'Tis a mystery. I'm not going to report you, Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! lol. I'm just wondering if posting excerpts from threads that were once locked/deleted, are prohibited here. In regards to what you're saying here about the closing of the thread...I think that it was probably the opening of the thread, just from the limited description I have here, that probably was the issue. Some sites don't want ''member call out'' threads to become the norm, as it does tend to degrade the overall premise of the website itself. I think that the closing of the thread in other words, wasn't the issue. It was that the thread perhaps shouldn't have been opened in the first place. Thus, closing it was an inevitable end to it. Through my very limited knowledge of this thread you're talking about, that's my take. I see your points, but someone being dubbed a jerk, is only someone's opinion. To go around telling other people that, might be seen as gossip, because now the person is trying to ruin another person's reputation. Maybe motives need to be taken into account, too? Another point....If someone was in fact fired form a job, due to tardiness, that would be fact. However, something interesting to note, most employers will not share such details about former employees with potential employers (the fired employee is looking for work, for example) because it can lead to lawsuits. Most companies when being asked by potential new employers about a prior employee's work history, typically only offer dates of employment, former salary, and if the person would be 'rehired.' If the prior employer states...'You don't want to hire John, he was always tardy and he was fired for it,' that employer might land themselves in some hot, legal water, if John is not hired at the new company, due to that information. But, that's a bit off the beaten path, in terms of gossip. Just giving a scenario whereby just because info is true about someone, doesn't mean that it is right to 'spread it.' We could take this one step further. Can talking about someone, in a negative way, ever be construed as useful for society? Suppose a paroled, known sex offender moved next door to you? Would you discuss it with your neighbors? What is my motive for chatting up the neighbors about a paroled sex offender moving into our neighborhood? To cause him to move? To warn everyone? I don't know... Would that be considered gossip? What do you think?
Great points, and agreed. As part of common human interaction, short of wearing 'ear plugs,' it would be hard to avoid gossip, entirely. I meant to add...thanks for posting this, Trooper. It sort of answers the question I present about ...would it be considered gossip if a paroled sex offender moved into one of our neighborhoods, and we started talking about it, with our other neighbors? It seems that the article presents that it might not be seen as gossip, because you are trying to 'help' others by sharing information that very well may do so. (bringing information that could potentially help them) Interesting--always learn something new around here! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
If you define it as malicious and harmful talk about the private lives of others, then it’s superfluous to discuss its value. Is it something negative about someone who isn't present or able to defend them self? Is it going to make you feel or look superior? If so, then it’s probably a form of indirect aggression. Both genders engage in indirect aggression equally. Men are, in fact, quite good at it. How the Grapevine Keeps You in Line I’m not sure but I’d want to find out a few facts first. Sexting Leads To Teen Having To Register As a Sex Offender
