Gossip. We've all heard it and we've all spread it, but at the end of the day how does it really affect our lives? It clearly has its downsides: hurting relationships, fostering lies and creating false images of people you've probably never met. Nevertheless, it has it's upsides as well. Gossiping can bring friends together as you reminisce about an evening out, or try to figure out the name of the hottie you spotted in the basement last night who's now sitting three tables behind you in FoCo (shh, he's the one on the right in the green hat!)
I must admit that I may be guilty of spreading more than my share of gossip. I think it started freshman year when I was clueless, nave and didn't really have any drama in my own life, so I was compelled to spread everyone else's. To anyone I may have upset, this is my official apology. But I'd like to think I didn't hurt anyone's feelings. Rather I created cherished inside jokes and helped my friends relive their mistakes.
For the most part, I feel like gossip is really just sharing stories of our pathetic love lives and the sketchy social scene. Often, gossip is just about silly mistakes that are somewhat regrettable but not really a big deal, or are only a big deal because others are jealous. If everyone hates you because you just got a full-time offer at Bridgewater/Goldman/who gives a f***, screw them, you're the one with a job. And besides, if you're worried about being judged by your friends at home, it's gonna be ok. Most of the time anyone living outside our Dartmouth bubble wouldn't understand any of our gossip anyway. Think about it, who would really understand what it means when there's a rumor about how you booted up your dinner from FoCo after drinking cutter, before heading back to the River with a rando '13?
Now back to Dartmouth. Gossip fuels many of our social interactions and so adds a little fun and mystery to our dead winter days and dreary Saturday mornings. Some of my favorite memories from freshman year are of the hours spent on weekend mornings sitting on the Kooton (slang for my futon, if you gossiped with my freshman floor, you'd know what I'm talking about) listening to everyone recount their night, for better or for worse. I can't tell you how many times I was dragged from my bunk bed to the main room to hear my best friends gush over boys and blitzes. Maybe this doesn't even count as gossip. Regardless, it brought us together in ways that our UGA never could have facilitated.
Speaking of my freshman floormates, enter Eli Mitchell '10. The most "gossipy" moments between Eli and I actually began when we were roommates our sophomore fall, pledging different sororities. While I was off being not-so-ragey, Eli often shocked me with her scandalous stories, prompting me to send out blitzes to my house asking questions like "how do you get the smell of urine out of your room" or "what's the best way to move a shopping cart down four flights of stairs?" Sure, this is gossip, but it was all true and pretty hilarious for that matter. I know people were amused by reading my blitzes and perhaps they felt a little better about themselves afterwards.
While Eli and I are polar opposites in many ways, you could say that by knowing gossip about my roommate, you know a little bit more about me and my life at that point in time. This is why gossip can actually help build a sense of community on campus. It often seems as if everyone knows everyone. Granted, much of this can be credited to our isolation, but gossip about your friends/freshman floor/frat can make this school seem even smaller when you know more about each other's lives. The more you know about each other, the easier it is to interact and live together, recognizing your common bonds.
I have a twin sister at Tulane who is often confused by the conversations she overhears between me and my Dartmouth friends. Granted, her confusion can be mainly attributed to Dartmouth's lingo, but it's also because Tulane's community, despite having a '10 class smaller than my own, is far less socially connected than Dartmouth. Since Dartmouth students are so involved in countless activities, it seems like there are very few degrees of separation between most of us, and for those of us who haven't actually met, chances are we still know a thing or two about each other.
My advice is that the next time you see someone you've only heard of but never met, introduce yourself. I know I sound like a creeper, but chances are that he or she knows a thing or two about you too. Last week, a fellow '10 introduced herself to me this way and it made my night. It also made me appreciate my class (129 days until graduation!) and wish we all actually knew each other a bit more, beyond just the gossip.
In the mean time, keep up the good work Eli, I have blitz lists to spam.
