Humans are the only species to have the unique miracle of speech. We use this very special gift to pass on the tittle-tattle of everyday life, and, of course, to talk about people. ""Talking about people" is a basic social and cultural activity in which we humans engage in order to educate and place ourselves in the world and to make sense of our beings and universe (Haviland/Gordon 1). Knowing that, we should consider talking about people or gossip our link between a primate past and the world of modern anthropology, not idle chatter.
"Apes and monkeys, humanity's closest kin, differ from other animals in the intensity of their relationships. All their grooming is not so much about hygiene as it is about cementing bonds, making friends, and influencing fellow primates (Harvard University Press)." In his research, Robin Dunbar goes into depth about the social complexities of primate grooming. He claims " To be groomed by a monkey is to experience primordial emotions . To recognize what this simple gesture signals in the social world of monkeys and apes, you need to know the intimate details of those involved: who is friends with whom, who dominates and who is subordinate, who owes a favour in return for one granted the week before, who has remembered a past slight. The very complexity of the social whirl creates those ambiguities we are so familiar with from our own lives (Dunbar 2)." The intensity of relationships along with the social ambiguities seem very similar to that of humans, yet even for the earliest humans gaining social success through means of grooming would have been impossible. Dunbar puts it best in saying: "given their large social groups of 150 or so, our earliest ancestors would have had to spend almost half their time grooming one another-an impossible burden (Harvard University Press).".
To account for these similarities with the lack of grooming Dunbar has done extensive research.
GOSSIP Gossip, as defined by the Webster's New World Dictionary, is "one who chatters idly about others". I feel that gossiping is ethically wrong. ... Gossip is extensive in the newspaper industry. ... People gossip because they feel insecure with themselves and by gossiping, they are increasing their own self-esteem. Gossipers hurt themselves and others, therefore gossiping is ethically wrong. ...
Right Speech; This urges the practice of saying only that which is worth saying, encouraging conversation for the purpose of getting to know people and understanding them, but eschewing gossip, backbiting, idle chatter and all malicious talk. 4. ...
Buddhism is based on the beliefs of the Buddha, who set forth a new "religion" was different from the other world religions. It is a religion that was based on the in all lives there are four passing, and the Buddha's six rejections of Hinduism. It allows Buddhists to take refuge in the Buddha a...
