There is a difference between gossip and defamation of character. The definition of gossip is speculative conversation about the private lives of people who are not around to directly communicate what is true or false. It is speculative because it is not verified. However, gossip is either used to communicate important social developments in a social network, or it is used to damage someone’s prospects in a way in which that victim cannot correct the situation.

Defamation of character is defined in two ways: libel (written and published) and slander (spoken). Libel is also considered to be writing, picture, or effigy, or anything visual that can be seen that exposes any person to public hatred, contempt, or ridicule. Defamation of character is illegal because a person’s reputation is considered their property right. Their past is their property, and it is illegal for someone else to damage that property.

It is specifically illegal to do the following:

Spread a lie saying that a person committed a crime or has been in jail or prison.

Spread a lie saying that someone has an infectious, loathsome, or contagious disease. This also includes spreading a lie saying that someone has a mental health issue that they have never been diagnosed with. It is illegal to say that someone has a sexually transmitted disease or any other physical sickness that they do not have.

Spread a lie saying that someone is incompetent for any professional office, trade, profession, or business.

Spread a lie saying that someone is impotent or want of chastity.

Spread a lie that causes actual damage to someone’s professional or familial relationships.

Creating false anecdotes that imply any of the previous lies.

Spreading a lie saying that someone’s name is not their legal name.

Spreading a lie saying that someone has lived in places that they never have to try to vouch for how the lies can be verified.

Spreading a lie saying that someone’s disability is not real and being faked.

Spreading a lie saying that someone does not have their professional talents, has cheated, or faked their professional talents.

Spreading a lie that cause someone to be stalked or harassed by other people, since stalking and harassment are also illegal by themselves.

A person’s professional past is no one else’s business. A person’s past is their property, and purposefully damaging their property and their professional opportunities is illegal.

The problem is that people do not always understand how to distinguish between gossip and defamation of character. The difference is that one tries to eliminate the victim’s voice. A person’s character determines their habits and behaviors. When a person’s character is illegally defamed, that causes their professional network (which they also have a right to), to question that victim’s character. They question whether or not they can trust the voice of the victim to tell the truth of their own past. Since the victim should be able to have the highest authority over their own past, no one should try to have a higher authority over the victim’s past.

America is based off the “innocent until proven guilty” statement because EVERYONE has a right to defend themselves. Everyone should have a right to speak for themselves, and no one illegally defaming another person’s character should try to take the position as the victim’s spokesperson.

No one is Ariel the Mermaid, so no one literally signs away their voice to a sea witch named Ursula that wears the victim’s voice around their neck in a conch shell and uses it to pose as Ariel. What Ariel the Mermaid did was legally binding, but defamation of character is illegal and always will be. Defamation of character can be surmised as the basic fairytale of Ursula using Ariel’s voice to pretend to be Ariel.

The correct approach towards gossip and defamation of character is to always acquire the whole story. Always remain objective. Do not eliminate the victim’s voice just because someone said so, and possibly call the local police so they can document the damage. Let’s not turn innocent people in our population into forced Ariels