Religion and Ethics and Health BBS

Religion and Ethics and Health BBS
[ Religion and Ethics and Health BBS ]

The dangers of Gossip

Posted by trish on August 6, 2025, 7:26 am

There are many reasons people gossip:

-Jealousy

-Hearsay (catching wind of something)

-Jumping on the proverbial train

-Feeling included

-Self-preservation

-Sense of superiority (power tripping)

-Driving opinions in a specific direction

-Boredom

Of late, it seems to be on the uptick. Perhaps the overall atmosphere that openly welcomes hate, insinuation, prejudice, racism, etc. has given the keyboard warriors a reason to voice things… things that haven’t been researched… those that show no proof or documentation… those that have purposeful misinformation.. It’s exhausting.

Gossipers seem to forget that the words they toss on the internet last forever. They are responsible for those words and the repercussions of those words. Where is accountability?

When I was growing up, my mother told me, “Go to the source. Then go to everyone discussed by the source.” There are two, three, sometimes dozens of views on any heated topic or person. The key is how do YOU respond?

What are your feelilngs about gossip and what do you do when you encounter it?

social-media's-only-refuge

Posted by scott on August 20, 2025, 10:22 am, in reply to "The dangers of Gossip"

and-it's-mostly-refuse...ie..garbage.-Your-mom-is-right.

The…

Posted by mark on August 13, 2025, 2:15 pm, in reply to "The dangers of Gossip"

…Bible puts it amongst some pretty bad company.

Romans 1:29

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,

Wisdom

Posted by Skye on August 15, 2025, 4:48 pm, in reply to "The…"

and truth in those words.

When a person lies or participates in malicious gossip about others, they murder some part of the world. And for what? To somehow feel superior or better than others?

Trish

Posted by Gustavo on August 9, 2025, 2:46 pm, in reply to "The dangers of Gossip"

Stop taking these boards seriously. It’s all a game.

Had nothing to do with the board, but a situation

Posted by Trish on August 10, 2025, 3:43 pm, in reply to "Trish"

that arose for a friend recently that really rolled out of control. I ended up writing a blog about it.

If the gossip was about your friend or about you

Posted by Gustavo on August 13, 2025, 4:12 pm, in reply to "Had nothing to do with the board, but a situation"

it should be ignored.

People gossip about me all the time. I couldn’t care less about what people think about me.

It's not what I ignore it's what OTHERs pay attention to

Posted by trish on August 15, 2025, 2:24 pm, in reply to "If the gossip was about your friend or about you"

and want to believe. It can have a very detrimental effect on business owners, for example

Re: The dangers of Gossip

Posted by Dancing Digits on August 7, 2025, 6:34 pm, in reply to "The dangers of Gossip"

My mother always use to say "If you can't say anything nice about someone, don't say anything at all."

Gossip can be very destructive. It can grow legs and do real harm. It almost never dies and its very difficult if not downright impossible to defend yourself against it. People will believe what they choose to believe even if proof that they are dead wrong is laid before them. What does harm to someone else seems to be a form of entertainment for some, pathetic little low-life gossiper that they are.

Many years ago, when I had just graduated high school, I made the mistake of taking someone into my confidence. I fully trusted that person, but I was young and naive. I was proven to be a fool for trusting them. I needed someone to talk to - someone who would just understand. It didn't go that way though.

Said person took what I told him/her in confidence, and told someone else who told someone else who told someone else . . . and as the story continued on its way, it got spun and added to and changed in the most bizarre way. Part of my personal life, put out there for anyone who was bored, nosey, seeking personal entertainment, or whatever their petty motives were to engage in gossip . . . all of which was none of their damn business. It was about two years later when I found out that I had been betrayed. It got back to me in the most distorted and offensive form.

It really is a hell of thing to step outside your door in the morning knowing that an ugly rumor is circulating about you throughout the town in the most distorted form. I didn't know who thought what or who thought they knew what because people play games and rarely speak the complete truth. To one as young and as sensitive as I back then, what people thought was important to me. And of course, like so many gossipers, they think they know the truth. They think they know some dark hidden secret when all they really know is how to keep the ugly spin and rumors, even lies going. All they do is contribute to the harm they are doing a person who doesn't deserve one bit of it. But gossipers rarely care about that. They rarely care about their victims.

Thankfully I no longer live in that town. Thankfully the gossipers are all long gone from my life - everyone one of them. I will have nothing to do with them if I ever run into them again. Yes, its long in the past but they were old enough to know better. But it was a don't-care for them.

I learned a lesson a very hard way, but its a valuable one. Its now the rare person I take into my confidence - very rare person.

I hate gossip.

for the most part I've been fortunate

Posted by trish on August 8, 2025, 7:34 am, in reply to "Re: The dangers of Gossip"

unless gossip isn't getting back to me (hope its at least juicy LOL)

More seriously, tho, that is the problem. When we say "keep this private" or "promise me to protect this information," People should honor their promises. I will NOT break faith with someone.

You are starting to sound childish now Trish

Posted by Gustavo on August 13, 2025, 4:15 pm, in reply to "for the most part I've been fortunate"

hey if you wanna break YOUR promises go for it

Posted by trish on August 21, 2025, 2:43 am, in reply to "You are starting to sound childish now Trish"

I figured you weren't a person of honor long ago

I prefer talking about ideas instead of talking about people.

Posted by Ken C on August 6, 2025, 8:23 am, in reply to "The dangers of Gossip"

Gossip seems contagious. I usually avoid Gossip, but sometimes others start it and then I join.

I agree There are two, three, sometimes dozens of views on any heated topic or person. The targets of gossip should be allowed to respond.

Gossip is fun. It’s an unreliable questionable soap opera.

Posted by GOG on August 6, 2025, 7:50 am, in reply to "The dangers of Gossip"

I listen to gossip. Though gossip per se is not listed among the Ten Commandments, false witness is. That is the category to avoid.

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