Gossip in Everybody's Lives

Gossip

Gossip can change everything in someones life. People may think that gossip is harmless and doesn't affect anyone. But imagine this; what if someone started to tell lies about you behind your back. Everyone knows how fast word travels. In less than a week, probably the whole middle school would have heard the rumor. What effects would this have? People would start teasing the person about it, the victim would get stressed out, and most likely get depressed. Good morning Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen. Gossip is an everyday activity for all of us. It could be about the latest news of celebrities, or it could even be about your friends. Everyone knows that gossip is something unacceptable, but it is very hard for people to stop gossiping.

As I stated before, gossip can change people's lives. Statistics show that 8 out of every 100,000 teenagers committed suicide in the year 2000 because of rumors about themselves or being bullied at school. Statistics also show that approximately 1 in 5 teens thought about suicide, 1 in 6 teens had made plans for suicide, and more than 1 in 12 teens had attempted suicide in the last year. All these teenagers have thought or committed suicide because of rumors. I mean, who would want stories told behind their backs? Especially stories that aren't even true or aren't wanted to be shared to the public.

The power of voice, mouth to mouth is a very forceful act. If one person heard gossip about someone else, after a certain period of time, most people would of heard the rumor because it would have spread. This would effect the victims relationships with friends. Also, if a victim finds out that they were the latest gossip, he/she wouldn't feel delighted or pleased. Sir Philip Sidney wrote a quote saying "No sword bites so fiercely as an evil tongue." I believe that this quote has a true meaning and is very self explanatory. People may think that they are tough and that words can never hurt them, but they are wrong, words are indeed stronger than a sword.

Many people think that gossip only has mental effects on a person. I thought this too until I came across a website that stated that gossip had physical effects as well. Gossip can cause many different types of illnesses to people. Some people even lose their appetite and start to not eat food. This leads to serious illnesses and medical conditions that need attention. The reason why people may start getting physical illnesses is because of the stress that they are getting from the bullies. Imagine this: a group of people bullied you because of something that they had heard about you. They would continue bullying you for days, or even months. You would start to get stressed out; so stressed out that you would need to take medication to help calm yourself and release that stress. Who would this kind of life and be gossiped about everyday?