[Redway]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

For me it depends on what mood I'm in, plus if the gossip might contain important information that I need to know for my own sake.

If it's silly **** like "Pete was a prick at School" then I honestly wouldn't really care to know that.

The worst type of gossip out there (I.M.O.) involves professional misconduct (and there are things that people might-well need to know but there’s a point where it just becomes gossip that no-one else needed to know about in the first place) and people who’ve observed you for five minutes talking like they know you when they actually don’t and spreading rumours. Those-two seem to be the types that really get people pissed and it’s understandable. Everyone has the right to a private life and to not feel like their personal space and discretion judgements have been intruded on by a near-complete stranger just because they decided to speak on their behalf about things that are either not true or obviously intended to be confidential. When it’s mutual gossip between and about people you know and you’re not saying it to everyone it doesn’t even count as gossip there (like I’ve said). It’s just conversation at that point (in-which other people’s observed lives are obviously going to come into play, but for it to not be speculative toxicity you’ve got to actually have some sort of tangible connection with the person). Dirt-talking/revealing overly-personal details about someone who’s out there trying to avoid you and probably hasn’t had an actual conversation with you (like some people get high off) is very bad form.