I need to vent for a second. There's always that one guy in class who’s gotta gossip. You sit trying to solve your math problems, minding your business, and someone feels the need to talk smack for no reason. Not only is it annoying to listen to, but it can really ruin a good group mood. Everybody is getting along in a group–working together and vibing with pleasant conversation–and then Karen feels the need to smack talk her bestie two ways from Sunday in the middle of Math. Like, dude. Get a hobby.
If you can’t find something worthwhile to say to a friend other than gossip about another person, pick up woodworking. Pick up underwater basket-weaving. Regardless of who you are or what you like, it's not that hard to find something interesting to do or try out. Teacher A–name purposefully redacted–told me last week that gossip can actually be a good thing because, while it may garner negative feelings for others, the communal bond formed by shared confidence can actually strengthen relationships. I think that's completely stupid. Unless you need to figure a situation out or process something, ain’t nobody wanna hear it. While it is possible to form and sustain friendships based on mutual gossip, you better watch back because if your amigo throws shade at other people for fun, they’d probably say it about you. To quote the great Elanor Rosevelt, “Great minds talk about ideas; average minds talk about events; small minds talk about people,”(Roosevelt)--and it's true.
- Parker, Editor