Everyday Canvas

On Rumors and Gossip, the "dark side to the force"

What do you think of rumor starters and gossipers? Do their rumors and gossip eventually come back to bite them? Did you ever write a story about rumors and gossip starters?

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I think, in essence, rumor starters and gossipers are people with a natural curiosity about the lives of other people. They sometimes do what they do with a desire for social connection. and then at other times, to assert power and control. Even if some rumors may have a basis in truth, they are usually exaggerated. Some, however, may be entirely fabricated.

Yes, rumors and gossip eventually can come back to bite their starters, even when a rumor is not too hurtful. For one thing, such people lose credibility because no one will believe what they say or take them seriously again.

On us, the listeners' part, it is important to question the validity of such information and to check its truth before sharing it with other people. We have to recognize that not all rumors can be easily refuted, and sometimes, the best course of action is to focus on promoting a culture of empathy and understanding, both on the rumor starter or gossiper and the people that false information has hurt.

I don't believe I ever wrote a story about rumors and gossip starters since I never thought of this concept before. I think, however, that could be an interesting idea for fiction. Probably, crime writers might use gossip and rumors more effectively than most other writers.

Then, just a Google search gave me these books on rumors and gossip:

The Rumor: A Novel by Hilderbrand, Elin
The Gossip Monster by Katherine Follett
Gossip: A Novel by Beth Gutcheon
The Stuff That Never Happened: A Novel by Maddie Dawson
The Things We Don't See by Savannah Brown

Unfortunately, I wasn't even aware that these books and many others like them existed. I may have encountered a piece of gossip or rumor in a story, but I can't even recall that at this moment. I guess I should be more aware of the rumors and gossip idea in fiction as those things have been an integral part of human communication. As the movie “Star Wars” declares, “there is a dark side to the force.”