‘So, Marites, gossip
is a socio-religious sin,
history is something else.’
BECAUSE gossip is “Talking Your Way to Hell,” according to Zona Hayes Morrow, citing Biblical verses: “gossip separates close friends.” [Proverbs 16:28] Gossip is a spiritually unhealthy practice, lathering you with “maliciousness, schadenfreude, or pleasure taken in someone else’s failings.” [Emrys Westacott, The Virtues of Our Vices] Marites, your hobby is harmful: “rumor and gossip themselves may act as a kind of witchcraft, projecting guilt on others in ways that may cause them harm: for example, to lose their jobs, to be physically attacked, or to be socially shamed.” [Pamela J. Stewart and Andrew Strathern. Witchcraft, Sorcery, Rumors and Gossip. Cambridge University Press, 2004]
How to prevent gossip. “Research has shown that, contrary to popular belief, gossip doesn’t start with a negative or unfavorable comment about someone; rather, it begins when that initial comment is seconded or agreed to. If no such acceptance is expressed, the conversation goes in a different direction. Thus, we can help prevent gossip from occurring by declining to follow up on someone’s opening remark and instead changing the subject…
It is good for us to form the habit of replacing unhelpful words (gossip) with those that can truly help people (prayer). As St. John Vianney said, ‘If something uncharitable is said in your presence, either speak in favor of the absent (person), or withdraw, or, if possible, stop the conversation’.” [Joseph M. Esper. Saintly Solutions to Life’s Common Problems: From Anger, Boredom, and Temptation to Gluttony, Gossip, and Greed. New Hampshire: Sophia Institute Press, 2001]
Yes, Marites, “Through gossip, people make sense of what surrounds them, interpreting events, people, and the dynamics of history.” At the same time, gossip is dangerous as it disrupts “ideals of emotional equilibrium and stability” and touches a raw nerve in people’s consciousness. [Niko Besnier. Gossip and the everyday production of politics. University of Hawaii Press, 2009]
So, Marites, since you indulge in the mortal sin of gossiping, you think you are immune.
“You’re thinking that you could never be the bully…Well, guess again. After all, you’re only human… But resist that temptation, or else the gossip-bully syndrome will go on and on, knocking everyone down.” [Susan Sprague. Coping with Cliques. A Workbook to Help Girls Deal with Gossip, Put-Downs, Bullying, and Other Mean Behavior. Oakland: Instant Help Books, 2005]
Yes, Marites, your soul is at stake: “Unless the matter under discussion is a common news item, when someone’s gossip negatively alters the opinion another has regarding a third person, one has committed a grave action. If it is done with full knowledge and deliberate consent, the grave action then becomes a mortal sin.” [https://www.catholic.com/qa/when-does-gossip-become-a-mortal-sin]
So, Marites, you’d be better off tackling (with taste, theorizing, tender mercies) such common news items as: “Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo yesterday said China’s “nine-dash line” claim in the South China Sea has no basis in law and its actions within the Philippine exclusive economic zone violate Manila’s sovereign rights, while the United States reaffirmed its support to the Philippines and said it will back Manila in case of an armed attack. Manalo and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued the statements on the sixth anniversary of the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) that junked China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea (WPS), for lack of historical or legal basis.” [https://malaya.com.ph/news_news/arbitral-court-findings-on-south-china-sea-indisputable-dfa/]
Or this news from Japan: “The revised Penal Code also raised the fine for insults to up to 300,000 yen ($2,200), upping the ante from the current penalty of detention for less than 30 days or a fine of less than 10,000 yen. The statute of limitations for insults has also been extended from one year to three years. Moves to amend the law gained traction after Hana Kimura, a 22-year-old professional wrestler and cast member on the popular Netflix reality show ‘Terrace House,’ was believed to have committed suicide in May 2020 after receiving a barrage of hateful messages on social media.” [https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/07/1590b983e681-japan-to-introduce-jail-time-tougher-penalties-for-online-insults.html]
This one, Marites, was a private jotting that is now part of the historical record: “A former student came to see me. I did not recognize him at first. He had been in the dungeons of Fort Santiago. He was arrested because they thought that he was one of those who had distributed anti-Japanese leaflets. He vehemently denied the charges. Since the torturers could not get a confession from him, they changed tactics, telling him that one of his companions was accusing him of complicity. Since he insisted on his innocence, he was made to face his accuser with the hands cut off and still bleeding. When he wouldn’t relent, the torturers changed tactics again: ‘We know that you are guilty even though you persist in denying your guilt. We will set you free on one condition: On such a date you will visit your friend and talk with him against Japan.’ Since he did not want to betray his friend, he bade farewell and escaped to the mountains.” [Diary of Juan Labrador, O.P., July 12, 1942; https://philippinediaryproject.com/1942/07/12/july-12-1942-2/]
So, Marites, gossip is a socio-religious sin, history is something else.
