One of the reasons I write frequently about the dangers of gossip is that gossip is one side of the story. It is one side of a story told with overlaid emotions specifically intended to get the listener to buy into the story being told. To buy into One Side of the Story, and usually not in a good way.
When life starts swirling around us we often get caught up in the tendency to jump to conclusions about any given situation because, well, we feel we must think something! If what we have to base our views upon is one side of the story, that will have to do for now. Perhaps when we have more information we can make a different choice. The problem is we often do not take the time to get additional information, and our snap judgment about a person or event remains what is no more than gossip. We then go about our lives repeating information, (one sided information) as though it were well researched fact. Certain radio, television and print opinion makers really do love it when we do this, because each time their “fact” is repeated, it takes on gravity, the appearance of truth. “Informed Sources say…” and “many people have said” are the most deceptive phrases I can think of right now, there may be more deceptive phrases later.
Here is the deal. We live in a fast paced world; media vies to be the first, or the most sensational in delivering news. The victim here, besides the person who is being maligned, is you, the media consumer. Please, demand more from your media than glorified gossip, and please, demand of yourself more than allowing yourself to be spoon-fed half-truths. If something really raises your attention, you owe it to yourself to find out The Rest of the Story.
