By Stephanie Black & Jinoye Henry
LIFESTYLE EDITOR & STAFF WRITER
Backstabbers can come in the form of friends but when a friend spills a secret, it is more hurtful than a blow by an enemy.
The Bible speaks directly about gossiping in Psalm 34:13: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.”
Everyone has had an experience where gossip has hurt someone, it is a relevant topic for everyone.
“Gossip is hurtful in many ways. It is the untruth and half-truths being told as
if they are the truths. It does not give the person the option on wether they wanted it to be discussed,” said Tyasia Seniga-Herbert, sophomore communications studies major.
The shock of hearing about yourself from others can hurt.
“When you hear gossip from someone else it hurts much more, because they didn’t have the decency to tell me to my face,” said Lauren Whitlock, senior philosophy major.
Whitlock shared her experience of having her secret spilled, and she said if a friend is not brave enough to confront her in person, he or she should not be the one spreading her business to others.
“Gossip follows you everywhere, but you deal with gossip the best way you can,” said Dennis Sherow, sophomore psychology major.
Sherow said he despises people telling his secrets, but knowing ways to deal with the problem can help.
“You don’t listen to what other people say about you; if you know it’s not true, don’t believe it,” Sherow said.
Although gossip can be hurtful, retaliation never fixes the problem. Gossiping about others to get revenge
only creates more gossip. “I have shared others’ secrets I should not have shared,” Sherow said. “I have done it to other people because they have done it to me, though I know it is not right.”
If gossip is allowed to rule the conversation, it will affect relationships and ruin lives.
In Proverbs 16:28 it says, “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and gossip separates close friends.”
Before speaking about others, think. Would what is said about others be something that could potentially hurt them.
