Katie's Blog
Day in the Life of Candy
War of the Words
Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me.
Or so they say. But in this age of text messaging and Internet blogging, gossiping—that once-harmless pastime enjoyed by miserly spinsters on lazy afternoons over cups of tea—has ridden the wave of the future and taken a turn for the worse. Hushed speculations that used to be kept within the confines of sets of friends are now widely publicized fodder for everyone. And in this viral age, you don’t have to be a celebrity to be gossiped about on the Internet. It could happen to anyone, as it happened to me.
The worst thing about it is that it is so public. When before, the gossipee could live her whole life not knowing that everyone thought she was a (insert derogatory comment here), now it’s broadcasted for the whole world, and even the gossipee, to see. That the population thinks you’re fat/nerdy/uncool/unpretty could all just be a click of a mouse away. The second worst thing about it is that it is so permanent. At least in the past, gossip, however terrible, was just passed from mouth to ear to mouth to ear. Now, if you’re branded on the Internet, you’re branded for life. Your only hope would be that the blogger or forum-administrator—who comfortably hides under a pseudonym—would delete the entry entirely. Then again, if he/she was malicious enough to namecall or start a rumor about you in the first place, it would be foolish to expect any concessions from that person that would reverse the damage done.
And so you try and do what you can but there aren’t a lot of options. You can ignore it, with no effect; or you can try and fight back, in vain. The most you can do, really, is blog about the truth yourself but you must understand that the one who draws first blood calls the shots. She has the shock factor on her side while your feeble attempts are easily misconstrued as damage control—a way to make the sordid claims a little less embarrassing, a lot more palatable.
I don’t know. They say it’s good that all this technology gives power to the people. But sometimes you wonder if this is the kind of power that the people know how to wield in the first place.
14 Responses to “War of the Words”
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July 31st, 2008 at 5:33 pm
i’ve had this experience…
it blows… i hope you get past it…
just keep your head up high and they’ll stop bugging you…
XD
;P
August 11th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
it makes you think how stupid you aRe.. you can’t do anything to defend youRseLf and aLL you want to do is Lock youRseLf in the Room, bReakdown and cRy.. i had this dReadfuL expeRience in my high sch. yeaR and it wasn’t funny.. i cRied infRont of my Mom.. infRont of my bestfRiend.. but you know what kept me going?.. when they toLd me it was aLRight as Long as i know it wasn’t tRue.. they toLd me i was speciaL, and i beLieved them.. fRom then on, eveRything feLL into pLaces.. move on, Let go.. be you;)
August 12th, 2008 at 10:53 am
you are SO right. there’s so much of that right now. i think everything has to be settled between the two groups first.. and i think people who start rumors are just.. plain sadistic.
August 12th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
i already experienced this…
and this was so hard for me..
good thing, there were those people who never left me…
but you know,
you’ll get over it…
don’t mind them…
good luck…
August 14th, 2008 at 1:16 am
i can also say its true with my experiences
its pretty irritating especially when the gossips and rumors were so mean, knowing that their happiness is to see you pity at yourself. all you can do is pretend you do not know a thing and just be passive about whatever it is.
with all these cyberbullies, just ignore them.
‘cos no one knows yourself better than you do
August 28th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
hmm…it was really vomiting if you’ll think it over and over on your mind.
i think we, the people who had and haven’t experienced, should refocus our mindset on positive things, and yes, we should ignore it.
…let’s just make sure we’re the one on the right track and we deserve to not feel guilty when we are right, right?
let not it bug you!
xoxo
August 29th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
i just had an amazing haircut too..
and it’s uncomfortable, but what can i do?
it’ll be stupid to cry over something that’s not really worth your tears..
it’ll grow back anyway (the hair)
But before that, let us enjoy our short but beautiful hair
*sinister chuckling*
Bwahahaha
September 11th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Don’t worry about it. Everybody goes through this. Just remember that karma happens.
September 17th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I agree with what you posted… The internet has ruined a lot of people’s reputation… All because of gossips/scandals made by individuals who have nothing to do but destroy the lives of others… (Sad)… After all, nothing’s gained from that why do it?
September 20th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Boo! I honestly think that these people who ruin other peoples’ rep on cyberspace should really get a life.
And if they say they’re brave, then why can’t they do it face-to-face?! What losers!
September 25th, 2008 at 11:41 am
hey.
dont mind them.
they are such a loosers!!!
September 26th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Yah thats true.
eveyone’s enjoys using technology and some use it in bad intentions..
worst, trying to put innocent peoples down ang draws their morals away in perception of other people.
Hope you’ll pass it.. have faith!
September 27th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
i’m currently having this kind of situation, well i hope both of us could solve this issue
October 1st, 2008 at 9:58 pm
I have just been on a writing spree about the effects of technology and I say not everything glitters is gold. It’s sad what happened to you but you know the richest communication medium is still face-to-face. If you want things to work out then SHOW people you’re not like what was written about you. Besides, the internet is open for all. You may have detractors but believe you also have supporters who are willing to publish good things about you. Just SHOW them you deserve it in reality.
Keep your head up girl! It’ll pass