I remember another Filipino blogger mentioned once that gossiping was the Number One Filipino past time. I commented on his sentimental post about a woman (sentimentalizing was the Number Two Filipino past time, he said).
I'm finding that there's a lot of value in living your life under the radar. If you're a public figure, however, this is not an option. But we average guys -- running our average blogs and living a pretty regular life consisting of work, friends and family -- it should really be the only way to live.
But then, there's The Mob.
The Mob can be anyone. It can be your regular group of friends.
Here's some pretty juvenile sketches:
Case A: I was walking home one night with a friend to the subway. Close to the station, my friend excitedly proclaimed that Guy A was officially dating Guy B. My reaction was along the lines of "Huh?" I knew more about the situation then she did, so I was pretty sure I'd know ahead of her. She insisted...
Case B: I was talking to someone on the phone when the person at the other end of the line gave me "news" that someone saw Guy C and Guy D attending Sunday Mass. And they were really sweet. Ergo, they were official.
For both cases, I ended the topic this way: If you cannot obtain first-hand information, you better not spread that "news" around further. We are so far out of high school...
Now, I rarely insist on being true (I mean, really, I'm a blogger...), but please humor me on this one.
Ordinarily, I would have shrugged and forgotten about it, but I had reason to be skeptical with those bits of "news". Gossip has a way of seeping into reality and possibly ruining a few ties and friendships here and there.
This is one reason why I jokingly adopted the role of devil's advocate in my community. I find that a lot of people just swallow everything they hear. I mean wow... These people could really use someone as skeptical, cynical and bitter as I sometimes am.
Some people never verify. They just get too excited. It's no different from reading and browsing tabloids. It's not that these people around you are naive suckers. They are just part of The Mob.
The Mob consists of the devious, the naive, and the asshats.
(What's an asshat? These are people who actually choose to be ignorant. It's a term derivative of the notion that there are people who have their head so far up their ass that they can wear their ass like a hat.)
The devious spread information -- or disinformation -- to either cover their mishaps or further their goals. It may be in their best interests for people to believe one thing today and the the opposite thing tomorrow, and so on. They're almost agnostic to truth. They may say a few truths here and there, but they usually leave out context and details that would paint a different picture.
The naive are those nicer people who unwittingly believe and possibly even pass information around.
Asshats, well, please refer to the parenthetical preceding this paragraph...
I've been regularly in touch with The Mob, ever since I joined Singles for Christ New York. In fact, I was part of The Mob, at times even as one of the blissfully ignorant and careless asshats.
I need to mention SFC NY, since I never saw this many problems in any circle I've ever belonged to. There were my friends in Computer Science. Never. And then my friends back in the dorm... Nope -- they're so caught up in themselves -- work, studies, families, relationships, hobbies, basketball leagues, and quite often, simply themselves and their vanities -- that they're too busy to talk about other people behind their backs. My first friends in New York? Same deal. They have other things to do. (I've heard them talk, but not as bad as...)
And don't fool yourself. I just sent you the link to this blog post. I have reason to believe that you're part of The Mob. Perhaps in the worst possible way. Mwahahahaha. (Well ok, not all of you. But if you were born in the Philippines, chances are...)
The Mob is someone calling to tell you all sorts of things that you really do not need to know.
The Mob is someone giving you seemingly innocuous information that will get you embroiled in some other people's mishaps.
The Mob are involved with blurring the lines between truth and lies, lies and gossip, truth and gossip, butter and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.
Fight it people. We can fight it together. Stay in your Christian/Social Org if you must, but actually do work for it. Quietly. Let's all pick up hobbies. Be judicious with our free time. Open your mouth with the belief that your life depends on it. Move to a different town. Buy an apartment. Get a dog, or just pretend to have one. Blog. (Actually, write. And maybe read.) Run in Central Park. Learn tennis (if you already play, call me).