“Save

The

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Gossip:

Casual or unconstrained reports about others. Particularly involving details that are not confirmed to be true (Merriam Webster Online Dictionary).

Types of GossipSource: PBS.org- It’s My Life

1. Slander

A type of gossip in which people spread rumors on purpose to cause pain or damage to someone.

2. Dishing---”Give Me The Dish”

A general kind of gossip that often occurs because people don’t think twice about the information. Differs from slander, because often people don’t “dish” with the intention of causing pain onto others.

3. Fears or Concerns

Gossip that taps into people’s fears. Often this type of gossip involves the unknown and unfamiliar, things that are gross, and way-out weird. It makes the information sound true even though it is usually not.

4. Jokes or Wild Stories

Rumors that start out as silly jokes that get spread around and changed over and over again. If the rumors last long enough they become part of our culture. Also known as “urban legends or modern myths”

5. Misinformation

Gossip that often happens when people believe in exaggerations. People will swear up and down that they know certain information to be true, but in reality they are just passing a rumor along that they heard from someone.

6. Cyber-Gossip

Something “juicy” this way comes through online chat rooms, facebook, or twitter. The internet has made it possible to spread gossip lightening speed.

Why Do People Gossip ?

• Attention• Feel Superior• A need for revenge• Control or power over others• Out of boredom

Why It Hurts, Why It’s Wrong

• Words hurt as much as physical punch• Gossip and rumors are a form of exclusion• Gossip and rumors destroy trust• True or not Private is Private• Gossip can lead to bad choices

Breaking The Chain

1. Decide Whether it is Hurtful or Harmless

Do I want to pass this information on?How would this person feel if he or she knew

the rumor was being spread?Would I want people to know this kind of

information about me?

2. Make The Rumor Stop With You

If you decide a rumor is hurtful in someway take a stand. Others may keep circulating the gossip, but you have made the personal choice to stay out of it. The rumor will die out much more quickly than if you joined in the buzz.

3. Don’t Be An Audience

When someone comes to you with “juicy” gossip don’t be the audience It maybe hard to resist hearing the “dish”. However, hearing and reacting to the rumor makes you almost as responsible as the person who started it.

4.Be a Peacemaker

If a friend of yours wants to hurt an individual by spreading rumors, SPEAK UP! Let him or her know that this isn’t the right thing to do.

5. Respect Others Privacy

If you don’t want others talking about the personal issues in your life, then don’t do it to others. When you hear personal information about others, keep it to yourself and don’t worry whether or not it is true.

6. Get The Facts

Majority of the time ignore the gossip. However, if you hear a rumor about something important and it does not seem “far-fetched” ask a parent, teacher, or your RA (wink,wink!) about what they believe the issue to be.

* You can even search the information you heard on the web. However, DON”T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ!

What if the Gossip is About Me?

1. Get someone in the middle to make a stand-i.e. an ally or someone who did not start the rumor

2. Resist the urge to get revenge3.Try to understand where the rumor is coming from

and why4.Resist the urge to dish it out when the gossip

does not revolve around you5. Be careful with your secrets- private information

kept private!