Rumor Has It

Earlier today the phrase “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, that’s what everyone has always thought” came up in conversation. Without going into too much detail, the conversation was about whether or not a couple would soon divorce. For the sake of this article I’ll call them Sam and Alex. Rumors of unhappiness and discontent have swirled around them for years despite everything looking good on the surface. Call me naive but I always assumed it was just negative judgmental speculation and I didn’t give it real weight. I try to always remember that every relationship is different and we may not know what really goes on behind closed doors. Trying to be an optimist I guess I thought that the truth had to be better than the rumors. People always tend to assume the worst and rumors are never positive (especially when it comes to relationships). My optimism bubble burst when the truth was confirmed and it was in fact just as everyone assumed it to be. Sam and Alex are separated and headed to divorce court. So are the rumors always true?

I should be clear about what I mean when I use the word rumor as opposed to gossip.

Rumor- Speculative information, usually talked about for a long period of time.

Gossip- Short lived spontaneous stories that start as quickly as they die.

The best example of a rumor is Tom Cruise's craziness. Tom Cruise’s personal life has been in question for a LONG time. The most persistent of all rumors is that he has some crazy bullshit going on behind the scenes. I can’t think of anything more shocking then to find out he’s really a level headed sane person. When it comes to gossip, a good example is Ryan Seacrest's sexuality. Early in his career, speculation swirled about the host’s preferences. Come to think of it, most of the speculation came from Kathy Griffin. Although as time went on the gossip died down and everyone realized although he’s metro and feminine he’s also totally straight.

Idle gossip will always exist but it usually has its 15 minutes of fame and then disappears. Persistent rumors are another story. When a rumor won’t die it deserves serious consideration. Years back we knew a hot straight bar tender who everyone thought was gay despite his friendly girlfriend whom we had all met. I chalked it up to gay men thinking everyone is homo. Rumors proved to be true once again when the bar tender finally come out of the closet.

As I sit writing this piece I also start to think about some of the other persistent rumors that I’ve heard for years. You know the ones... All those catty jokes you hear at the bar or while lunching with your bestie “Oh her… everyone knows she steals/vomits/lies etc."  I always nod in agreement as they tell me the seemingly unbelievable story all the while thinking to myself “There’s no way that can be true.” However more so than not I’m proven wrong. There’s not really a lesson here, but more of a general observation. Maybe I'm just catching on but it seems like I should listen to the word on the street more often.

P.S. names and situations have been changes to protect the guilty

P.P.S. If you think this post is about you, you’re probably correct.

P.P.P.S. Just kidding ;)