What’s the first thing you think of when someone tells you something shocking?
Personally, I think of who I’m going to tell next. Obviously there are limits to this, not everyone needs to know everybody’s business, but some things do need to be talked about. We live in a world where victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes are silenced for the sake of their attackers reputation. Take the case of Brock Turner, for example. He was found guilty of sexually assaulting an unconscious 22 year old woman on the Stanford University campus in 2015. Brock was basically given the equivalent of a slap on the wrist, as his parents and defense team claimed that the charge would ruin his life. Brock Turner has since changed his name and is living a new life, and is barely talked about. This is an example of what we should be talking about–outing people who do bad things to both warn the public and to discourage other potential offenders.Â
One of the guiltiest of pleasures and taboo things is a good gossip sesh with your best friends.
 Although I do not support bullying, some people DESERVE to be talked about. Bad people who do bad things often go un-talked about. I’m a believer in the difference between talking badly of someone and talking about what happened, which is the best kind of gossiping. We should talk about the bad things that people do – to spread awareness and to warn and protect others. Why do we have to feel so guilty about talking about things other people do? It’s human nature after all. Instances in history, displayed by The Crucible by Arthur Miller, villainize groups of women speaking amongst themselves. In that story, groups of women speaking alone in groups were accused of witchcraft, leading many to be put on trial and eventually be executed. Although this circumstance took place in a hysterical fearful society, what makes women speaking in groups so threatening? Other instances in history show that groups of women often spoke to each other about the awful things the men in their lives did. This was threatening to the men during those times because word of mouth was the only way information spread. Â
In the media today, gossiping is portrayed as catty, bratty and trivial, when it isn’t always like that. Gossiping used to be how women could warn each other of potential threats in the community, but has been demonized in the media to protect the best interests of the men in charge. Take Gossip Girl for example, a show whose entire plot revolves around someone spreading rumors about people, and in the end, a man is revealed to have been behind the whole thing. To sum up, women, and all of society in general, should reclaim gossiping. Using gossip to our advantage can create a safer and prosocial environment for all.