Once I went to a party, and the next day rumors were spread that I had had sex with one of the boys there. That wasn’t true at all!”—Linda.
“Sometimes I’ll hear a rumor that I’m dating someone—someone whom, in fact, I don’t even know! Many people who gossip don’t bother to check the facts.”—Mike.
GOSSIP can fill your life with more intrigue than a feature film. Just ask 19-year-old Amber. “I’ve been a constant victim,” she says. “It was rumored that I was pregnant, that I’d had abortions, and that I was selling drugs, buying drugs, and doing drugs. Why would people say these things about me? Really, I have no idea!”
Armed with e-mail and instant messaging, a boy or a girl with malicious intent can tarnish your reputation without even speaking a word. All it takes is a few keystrokes to send a vicious rumor on its way to dozens of eager recipients! In some cases an entire Web site has been set up just to humiliate someone. More commonly, online blogs are glutted with gossip that would never be uttered in person.
But is talking about others always bad?