3. The Gossip: ‘My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid…’
We’re all guilty of participating in a little bit of gossip here and there-yes, even the best of us. And when you’re new to a base or neighborhood, there’s maybe even something comforting about someone ‘taking you under their wing,’ and pointing out the ins and the outs of your new home: who and what to avoid, etc. If I am honest, I’ve had friendships, like really amazing friendships, begin with mutually expressed sarcasm or dislike for a ridiculous neighbor, or a policy, or a celebrity … but the difference between those friendships and a friendship of a gossip is that the friendships evolved beyond the relaying of private information.
You just can’t trust a Gossip, that’s the problem. Gossips typically form friendships and relationships based on their need to share information (usually private information) about someone to another in order to feel important. They always need a constant supply of new blood and/or information, so when push comes to shove, a gossip will put themself first and your privacy last. It’s fine to be acquaintances with a Gossip, but don’t ever share anything with this person that you wouldn’t be comfortable printing in a magazine.
