here's another interesting topic that i had the sudden urge to write about. its something that everyone despises morally, yet puzzlingly, love and enjoy doing (for those that think you know me, no i am not referring to alcoholism). . . so, why do people g o s s i p?
evolutionary psychology argues both our physical and psychological characteristics are moulded by our need to survive. physiologically an example of this evolution would be the desire to communicate aiding in the development of our vocal cords over time. this, together with the development of speech centres in our brain makes acquisition of languages a piece of cake although speaking from experience, Chinese seems to be more of an . . . acquired taste.
yet the ability to speak can not, and should not be equated to the intention to gossip inasmuch as holding a gun does not make one a murderer. gossip is more than just a sentence - it entails a careful and often deliberate selection of words, each selected to controversialise, sensationalise, and more significantly, to undermine and subvert the object of the gossip. gossip is not idle chatter of the week's weather, it is a tool enabling one to exercise power and experience pleasure concurrently.
if the relentless thirst for power and pleasure has driven us to thrive as a species within the past two millenia, then should it not follow that the very tool helping us to achieve such an end should be one that everyone is acquainted with? and if we accept that assertion, why do we find it surprising and hurtful to hear of ourselves being the subject of gossip if we know in our own hearts that we are capable of spreading the same gossip too?
while criticism that we inhabit a world of cutting age scientific technology with stone-age mindsets of the basest of survival instincts may have a tinge of truth, it negates how our survival instincts too have evolved in uniformity with the potential threats to ourselves, especially innocuous ones taking the form of gossip. the best way to counter gossip is to gossip, and until our mindsets undergo a renaissance in that respect, that is how it will continue to be.
evolutionary psychology argues both our physical and psychological characteristics are moulded by our need to survive. physiologically an example of this evolution would be the desire to communicate aiding in the development of our vocal cords over time. this, together with the development of speech centres in our brain makes acquisition of languages a piece of cake although speaking from experience, Chinese seems to be more of an . . . acquired taste.
yet the ability to speak can not, and should not be equated to the intention to gossip inasmuch as holding a gun does not make one a murderer. gossip is more than just a sentence - it entails a careful and often deliberate selection of words, each selected to controversialise, sensationalise, and more significantly, to undermine and subvert the object of the gossip. gossip is not idle chatter of the week's weather, it is a tool enabling one to exercise power and experience pleasure concurrently.
if the relentless thirst for power and pleasure has driven us to thrive as a species within the past two millenia, then should it not follow that the very tool helping us to achieve such an end should be one that everyone is acquainted with? and if we accept that assertion, why do we find it surprising and hurtful to hear of ourselves being the subject of gossip if we know in our own hearts that we are capable of spreading the same gossip too?
while criticism that we inhabit a world of cutting age scientific technology with stone-age mindsets of the basest of survival instincts may have a tinge of truth, it negates how our survival instincts too have evolved in uniformity with the potential threats to ourselves, especially innocuous ones taking the form of gossip. the best way to counter gossip is to gossip, and until our mindsets undergo a renaissance in that respect, that is how it will continue to be.
posted by machiavellian84 | 11:17 am
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