VamPyroX
bloody phreak from hell
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2003
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One of my professors wrote a book on gossips and rumors.
The Truth about Rumors and Why We Believe Them
He mentions something about how rumors are usually intended to confirm whether something is true or not, while gossip is something people use to make someone look better or to harm them.
A rumor would usually start with "I heard..." In this case, "I heard he was fired." Well, if the person (I said this to) knew it was true... he would say, "Yes, it's true. He was fired from his job at McDonalds." Now, I know it's true. If he didn't know, he would simply say that he doesn't know. If he was smart enough, he would understand that this was a rumor and not to be taken seriously for it could be true or it could be a lie.
A gossip can be fine or harmful. It's usually stated as a fact. If I saw this guy and said, "Did you know that he was fired from his job at McDonalds?" Now, I could probably be saying this because I want him to look bad for not being able to keep a job and am trying to spread the word that he's a bad person so that others look at him wrongly. Again, it's up to the other person to take it the right or wrong way. If he took it the right way, he would acknowledge this fact and simply not care for it is not his business or he could care and use it against the guy who was fired.
For me, it's something I usually keep to myself. If I do pass it along, I try my best to keep it as positive as possible unless it's on a need-to-know basis. If it's a rumor, I emphasize the fact that it's something "I heard" and not as an actual fact that someone can take seriously. That's the problem that some people have. I say, "I heard he was fired." What does the other person do? He turns it into gossip. "Did you know he was fired?" WTF?
So, whose fault is it really? Is it mine for saying what I heard or the other person for saying that it was true?
That's why it's a big problem here at NTID. A lot of students mix up the "I heard" and "Did you know" a lot. A lot of people get hurt that way. That's why I usually keep to myself whenever I hear both of them.
The Truth about Rumors and Why We Believe Them
He mentions something about how rumors are usually intended to confirm whether something is true or not, while gossip is something people use to make someone look better or to harm them.
A rumor would usually start with "I heard..." In this case, "I heard he was fired." Well, if the person (I said this to) knew it was true... he would say, "Yes, it's true. He was fired from his job at McDonalds." Now, I know it's true. If he didn't know, he would simply say that he doesn't know. If he was smart enough, he would understand that this was a rumor and not to be taken seriously for it could be true or it could be a lie.
A gossip can be fine or harmful. It's usually stated as a fact. If I saw this guy and said, "Did you know that he was fired from his job at McDonalds?" Now, I could probably be saying this because I want him to look bad for not being able to keep a job and am trying to spread the word that he's a bad person so that others look at him wrongly. Again, it's up to the other person to take it the right or wrong way. If he took it the right way, he would acknowledge this fact and simply not care for it is not his business or he could care and use it against the guy who was fired.
For me, it's something I usually keep to myself. If I do pass it along, I try my best to keep it as positive as possible unless it's on a need-to-know basis. If it's a rumor, I emphasize the fact that it's something "I heard" and not as an actual fact that someone can take seriously. That's the problem that some people have. I say, "I heard he was fired." What does the other person do? He turns it into gossip. "Did you know he was fired?" WTF?
So, whose fault is it really? Is it mine for saying what I heard or the other person for saying that it was true?
That's why it's a big problem here at NTID. A lot of students mix up the "I heard" and "Did you know" a lot. A lot of people get hurt that way. That's why I usually keep to myself whenever I hear both of them.