Gossip Grrr
by Scott Hardie on September 26, 2018
I didn't mean any harm by it. But I still transgressed against someone I don't even know.
My department at work is somewhat isolated, so I don't really know other people in the company well. I make and accept Facebook friend requests from anyone at work who seems like they have many connections to me. I figure, maybe it's a chance to get to know them better. I tend to skim their profile once and forget all about them.
This weekend, one quiet woman who I don't know well at all finally accepted a friend request that had been pending for a year. She goes by a married name at work, but I noticed that her maiden name was the same as a local celebrity, and she bears a resemblance. Sure enough, it looks from her profile like she's the sister of this semi-famous local guy, although I couldn't be 100% sure.
At lunch today, we got to talking about people who have been with the company for many years. Her name came up. I blurted out that the local celebrity is her brother. I explained how I learned it. The anecdote was mildly interesting and the conversation moved on.
Five minutes later, she stood up at the next table to leave, and glared at me on the way out. Obviously I hadn't even seen her there. I felt like a jerk, because I was one. It didn't even occur to me that this information was private and that she might be selective about who knows.
Now not only will she have a reputation for being related to this guy, but I'll have a reputation for not being able to keep a secret about co-workers. The difference is, I deserve mine. :-(
For whatever it's worth, I've learned the lesson. I will not gossip about people again, especially co-workers. I feel terrible.
Three Replies to Gossip Grrr
Erik Bates | November 18, 2018
[hidden by author request]
Scott Hardie | November 19, 2018
I appreciate that, thanks. But I still feel like I was negligent in my responsibility to be discreet with someone else's private business. It wasn't as bad as malicious blabbing, so pointing that out does make me feel better, but it was still wrong.
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
Pandora
[This post wound up being very long-winded and self-absorbed, but that's what blogs are for, I guess.] For years, I've gotten increasingly picky about how I listen to music. Sometimes I just want to listen to everything I have on shuffle, but sometimes I want to get more specific like only music from one genre on shuffle or all songs by one artist in chronological order, and sometimes I want to get really specific, like songs about dreams or artists from Michigan or recordings featuring violins. Go »Good Company and Busy Nights
Highlights from my last two weeks, in no particular order: - Miah Poisson, his fiancée Ines, and her friend Denise have always wanted to see The X Files, and it just so happens I have the complete series on DVD. We've started getting together every Monday night to watch a couple of episodes and eat sandwiches. I'm taking the opportunity to do something I wanted to do the first time I watched the series, which is keep a kill-count. Go »Comeback
Kelly shared this news with me: Boomerang returns, even in space. I'm still waiting for scientists to announce, 'Boomerang' Starring Eddie Murphy Still Sucks, Even in Space. Go »Silly Caucasian Girl Likes to Play with Samurai Swords
I heard that a teenager was questioned by the Secret Service after she posted an icon saying "Kill Bush" on her myspace page. My companions were up in arms over it, saying that's a violation of free speech and how dare they scare her, et cetera. I don't see how she was charged with any crime or how this how this disrupts anything but her school day. Go »Final Chapter
The movies that are going to be written about in Brittany Murphy's obituaries are Just Married, 8 Mile, Clueless, and maybe Sin City. But the one most sadly relevant is a movie that few people saw, The Dead Girl. Each chapter of the movie shows how a different woman is affected by the discovery of a woman's body in a field, until the last chapter doubles back and shows us her haunting final days. Go »
Scott Hardie | November 18, 2018
Wonderful: It turns out she is the local celebrity's daughter, not sister. So not only did I blab information that was none of my business to share, but it was false information that made her sound much older than she is. I feel twice as terrible.