To define something, the reader must have a general, or relatable, understanding of the topic at hand. I am positive, everyone has either talked about someone, or had someone talk about them. No matter if it is cruel, gracious, or ludicrous, it has happened. Our mother’s would say: “Don’t talk behind someone’s back.” Talking behind another’s back is the basis for the word gossip. Gossip is usually talked about with others, and does not include the individual being talked about. Gossip is probably more of a female generated past time as done over dinner, wine, or coffee. Females tend to chat, and with chit-chat can come gossip. In a dog-eat-dog world, the weak ones are the ones that are gossiped about the most; pointing out their flaws in order to make ourselves feel superior.
Gossip is usually just rumor, maybe even spreading like wildfire, and the only way to confirm the issues being gossiped about is to track down the individual being put under scrutiny. The three questions everyone should ask themselves before engaging in the unkind world of gossip are: 1) Is it kind, 2) Is it true, and most importantly 3) Is it necessary? If the answer to any of those is “no” then I would avoid the discussion like the plague. Involving oneself in gossip can only lead to bad things; ostracizing, guilt, and just all-around bad information.
Take for example, the show Gossip Girl. The word gossip is in the title, but that doesn’t even justify the things that happen between the wealthy Upper East Siders of New York. The pilot episode of the show, as well as every episode thereafter, opens, and closes, with an unknown narrator providing information about the lives of the elite characters. The information is given to the viewer in a kind of letter format, saying “XOXO Gossip Girl” at the end. The viewer has to then guess if the information given to them is accurate or if it is strictly rumor. Nine times out of ten, the narrator is poking fun, or placing blame, on the...