Do You Like To Be Around Someone Who Gossips?

United States
March 5, 2007 10:19pm CST
I hate to be around someone who is constantly gossiping. I would much rather talk about peoples talents and compassionate acts rather than their mistakes. Have you ever been around someone who knows every bad thing that all their neighbors have done? They seem to get excited telling this gossip. Personally, I am disappointed in people who tell the bad things on others when there is so much good that we can be talking about. I just heard someone on TV telling all the bad things that they knew on one friend while talking to another. They were getting so excited that they even began to lie to make it more interesting. Watching that show reminded me of this little story that I had heard a few years ago. I thought I would share it with you. I do not know who the author of this little short story is so I cant give credit where credit is due. Sarah The Church Gossip Sarah, the church gossip and self-appointed supervisor of the church's morals, kept sticking her nose into other people's business. Several residents were unappreciative of her activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence. She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his pickup truck parked all afternoon in front of the town's only bar. She commented to George and others that everyone seeing it there would know that he was an alcoholic. George, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just walked away. He said nothing. Later that evening, George, quietly parked his pickup in front of Sarah's house and left it there all night.
21 people like this
65 responses
@ZenDove (698)
• United States
6 Mar 07
Gossips are harmless until someone believes them. It's human nature to wonder about your neighbors and in-laws and celebrities. The problem comes in when the LISTENER has an undeveloped sense of discernment. If no one believed the gossip or refused to pass on rumors as if they were fact - all the sting would go out of the gossip viper. The damage is not done by the gossipping Sarah but by her audience. Her listeners are the ones with the power to judge and ostracize George, not Sarah. Why would anyone take her seriously, anyhow? We all know how much she loves to gossip! I mean, would you believe what you had heard about a total stranger's private life just because someone claimed to have the "Inside Edition"? or they were gonna tell you a little something "Extra"? Of course not, so take gossip for what it is - a bit of Entertainment Tonight.
@imsilver (1665)
• Canada
6 Mar 07
LOL.. that's great. I'm going to actually write it out for my best friend. She'll get a kick out of it. And I can't handle gossipers. I had one instance where it was just too much with this one girl I hung out with that I eventually just dropped her altogether to get myself out of that circle of people.
4 people like this
• United States
6 Mar 07
When people start to gossip, I just walk away. I dont want to hear bad on people and the people that gossip never tells the entire truth anyway.
3 people like this
@tammyr (5946)
• Etowah, Tennessee
6 Mar 07
I love this and will post it at work beside the other one that I will be back to share with you when I have time to type it out. It is quite long and is not on my computer to c/p. So it will be a little while.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157016)
• United States
6 Mar 07
The joke was funny. The classic saying is that small people talk about people, mid size or middle class people talk about things, and big people and big minded people talk about ideas. I want to be a big person.
@Shaun72 (15959)
• Palatka, Florida
6 Mar 07
Yeah I hate that too. i that people that do that did to take a look at their own self before putting someone else down.
• United Arab Emirates
6 Mar 07
Ha! Ha! I loved your story! I agree, I hate gossips, and I try as far as I can to change the topic when someone starts to tell me a story that is not going to tell me anything good about someone, but, what annoys me is when people ask my daughter to tell them stories of what is happening in the home. An innocent child cannot lie, so they want to know what was cooked for lunch/dinner, other details that are not important to them.
4 people like this
@whyaskq (7523)
• Singapore
6 Mar 07
I find it interesting to listen to gossips, and do not mind in the company of certain gossipers. It is an informal means to get to know and understand someone. At the same time, it is also a form of entertainment, for yourself and the gossipers. Somehow, gossips tend to be a better ice-breaker, especially for one who is too shy to speak or mingle ;P
4 people like this
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
6 Mar 07
No I do not like being around People that gossip, we had a neigbourgh that gossiped all the time he would stand his front Garden waiting for someone to walk past just so that he could gossip.
3 people like this
• Ireland
6 Mar 07
That's really funny, and good for poor old George. What a clever thing to do. No, I don't like gossips and I avoid them like the plague. If somebody starts to gossip to me, I just tell them quite frankly that I don't want to listen to bad things about anybody. After all, none of us are perfect.
3 people like this
• United States
7 Mar 07
I bet she never gossiped about George again. LOL
1 person likes this
@acosjo (1903)
• Canada
6 Mar 07
Yes, but as long as it is not about me.
3 people like this
• India
7 Mar 07
Me too. But actually I can't listen to gossip for long hours.
2 people like this
@Perry2007 (2229)
• Philippines
6 Mar 07
Gee, when gosip will turn back at you... lol. I have a very short tolerance on gosips, I straitforward tell someone gosipping, "You are gossiping, gossipers are of little mind."
3 people like this
• Philippines
6 Mar 07
Gossipmongers are not telling the whole truth about what they are gossipping about to make a better show of whatever it is that they are narrating. In other words, they are all liars, for half truths are lies. They can also invent stories founded on total lies in order to get other people's attention and just so as to destroy the reputation of someone they do not like. Gossipmongers will never do anyone good. They are senseless and they are agents of the devil.
4 people like this
• Philippines
6 Mar 07
That was a moce one!!!...hehehe..Nweiz personally i really hate gossipers..they really sucks...but i dont care with them as long as i know im not doing anything wrong...remember fool people talks about other people while bright one talk about ideas....
3 people like this
• Philippines
6 Mar 07
nice one i mean
3 people like this
@wez8301 (66)
• India
6 Mar 07
never gossiping sometimes create a hazardious problem when guies discuss something vth u it means their must be some problem.
3 people like this
• India
6 Mar 07
lmao.....thats the best ive heard so far, must do that to some of the nutty pl near my place too
3 people like this
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
6 Mar 07
Great story! Funny... Honestly-- gossipers bring me down... I would much rather hang around people who don't talk about others.. Talking good is ok-- but still feel funny when talking about others behind thier backs-- good or bad. Gossipers bring stress.. They only gossip to make themselves look better! Drives me crazy!
@ellijah (244)
• Nigeria
6 Mar 07
Hi, the truth is that i dont like to be around someone who gossip.it is really bad for one to gossip another person .i think every one should mind his or her business.at times some gossip are constructive and good.the help us to check our lives and improveon ourselves
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
6 Mar 07
I personally don't like being around gossips. Not being around them usually gives them more fuel to gossip about you/me but I get depressed by these people because that is usually how they are - they don't have a life of their own so they talk or make up talk about other people, it makes them feel important that they "know something"... I love this story, a great message to be learned there.
2 people like this
• United States
7 Mar 07
I guess George just had all he was going to take. LOL
• United States
6 Mar 07
Every now and then i enjoy some gossip, but i have to be in the right mood. I would rather have a good conversation with something of meaning. I dont care about this that and the other going on in so and sos life. Its more interesting to talk about mutual interests, or debates.
3 people like this
@subathra (3519)
• India
6 Mar 07
hey your short story and the way goerge handled the gossiper sarah was excellent.one of my relative girl reside next to our house where there are two more neighbours in her same compound.since all of them are of same age they used to sit outside and talk. one day two of ladies started talking about my relative so nonsensely which my mom heard and felt very bad.they are gossiping unnecessarily about her and also about the landlord lady.they were so eagerly gossipping not noticing my moms watching them.then my mom called up our the girl and advised her to keep a distance with them.she understood the matter and started to have words wit those two only if its necessary.
3 people like this
• Philippines
6 Mar 07
hi, i'm new in this site...:) if you dont mind me sharing my experiences with you about people gossiping around? no one likes to be gossip around. people makes some gossips just to make other people feeling down. i know what's really like to be gossips behind our backs. it happened to me before.. ever since i came in to college, my classmates, at times, made fun of me and hurted my feelings. at times, i was too gullible to know that they were pretending to be my friend just to get to know about myself... and it's how they started to make their own gossips behind my back. there are times they were making up stories about me which aren't true because they wanted to make the stories interesting. it hurts and i didn't like it. it took me a long, long time to get over it and let it be. why? good friends of mine have told me this simple advices "dont mind them, they're just jealous because they can't do some things that you can do. dont let them put you down. also, they're just being insecure. be careful with whom you trust with your secrets. if you want to fight back, think twice before you take your action." sometimes fighting back at them to give straight out does help, but also to walk away and ignore them will make you look more mature and stronger. just smile and laugh all the gossips they made up. you know your own stories and those gossipers doesnt know because they weren't there as to witness.:) i hope this really make sense.:) and sorry if this is too long to read. he he..:)
• United States
7 Mar 07
Thanks for sharing your story with us. It made perfect sense.