The Rhetoric of Gossip: Why We Do It and Why It Needs to Stop

How to have productive conversations without it?

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“Gossip is the opiate of the oppressed.” — Erica Jong

Gossip can be seen as a way to build relationships because it has the potential to bring people closer together and make them feel more like they are part of something. 

However, gossiping can have negative consequences, too, such as being an invasion of privacy or causing hurt feelings.

Gossip is a way of communication that humans use to share information. Gossiping can be done in person, over the phone, or through social media. 

Gossip is the information people find out about others and then share. Different types of gossip include rumors and backbiting. 

Rumors are stories that have not been confirmed by enough evidence to be considered accurate. But, they are still believed as such by many. 

Backbiting is when someone talks negatively about another person to make themselves look better.

Gossiping can have both positive and negative consequences. 

On the positive side, gossiping can help people bond with e…