SENTINEL WATCH July 23, 2007 Issue

WHAT'S THE BUZZ? RESPONDING TO GOSSIP WITH PRAYER

SANDRA SCOTT

A REPORT by the Social Issues Research Centre in Oxford, England, contained some interesting facts about gossip. It noted one recent study that found gossip accounts for 55 percent of men's conversations and 67 percent of women's. Researchers in a similar study premised that these percentages were not as interesting as the different ways the gossip was being used. For instance, men, it was suggested, use gossip for networking, to further their careers; while women more often use gossip to set moral boundaries and build relationships.

Though I've heard experts make a case for gossip's beneficial socializing effect on society, many people would agree that it can be less than productive, if not downright harmful. Talking about other people can often be about consciously or unconsciously diminishing them in order to make oneself feel better. The fact is, what people hear about another person—whether true or untrue—can cause them to regard that individual with less respect. In families, church communities, and through the news, gossip has the effect of creating divisiveness rather than establishing a foundation for progress.

Perhaps one of the most glaring aspects of the rumor mill is the constant buzz about celebrity slip-ups and the personal misdeeds of highly placed government officials. This seemingly innocent "news" can be a form of gossip that aims to point out the faults of those in power, even tempting us to relish in their demise. Even "good" gossip—chatting about the day-to-day activities of others—can sometimes be voyeuristic and verge on an invasion of privacy.