Rumor Has It... (essay on rumors)

“She did what? With him?!”
“Yes, or so I heard, but you can’t tell anyone. Okay?”
This is often how a rumor starts. One story starts, and it just goes around until it hits the victim. These stories are damaging not only to a person’s reputation, but also to their mentality; especially to their mentality, depending on what the story is. Kids in middle and high school, especially girls, are often both the instigators and victims in this much-too-common tale. Even when it seems like such a small thing, to tell a lie about someone you hate, you could truly hurt that person , and it may still affect them in later years. Rumors are horrible, and they can cause permanent damage in the early years of a child’s life.

Children are impressionable in elementary and the early years of middle school. Many are not prepared for the cruelty of some people, who will spread lies without a single thought for the other person’s feelings, except perhaps to think about how bad the victim will feel. Many adults, years after the harsh school years, will carry lingering effects from that time. Rumors are considered a form of bullying, and like any other type of abuse, it can leave a lasting mark.

Anxiety, depression, and even suicide can result from the stinging words of gossip and rumors. Teens are hit especially hard. If the teen is young, they might not be able to handle the rumors, and it might change certain aspects of their personality. Some teens become anti-social, have low self-esteem, or both, plus other issues. Researchers have also found that adults who were bullied in this way as a child are more likely to become depressed and have very low self-esteem.

Statistics show that girls are more likely to be doing the story-spreading than boys. Girls tend to show their sweetness on the outside, and their cunning evilness to gossip world. Unlike boys, who typically use their actions to fight, girls use words in the most caustic way they know how. They also use other methods such as excluding one person from a conversation or activity. Interesting enough, girls also tend to bully other girls, rather than both genders.

What happens to the kids who bully others? It’s been found that that approximately sixty percent of those bullies get sent to jail. That’s probably not the case for gossipers though. They’re more likely to end up with one of those trashy magazines who make a living by spreading rumors about celebrities. Their life will probably not end up glamorous, and they too might have many emotional issues later in their adulthood.

Rumors, lies, stories, gossip—whatever you want to call it. They’re all very damaging in several ways, especially to young children and teenagers. I myself have been a victim of this unrecognized abuse, and three years later it still makes me sick to think of the person who verbally harmed me and how it’s affected me. People who spread rumors don’t think about how much they could hurt the person; or perhaps they just really don’t care. Maybe that’s their goal, to harm the person. Unfortunately, rumors can truly pack a hard punch, and can cause permanent damage to a person’s view on life. Someday, I hope kids will realize the damage they cause with words, and I wish for rumors to stop in school.