Character, Caricature, and Gossip

Abstract

Gossip is rarely praised. There seems little virtuous that is about talking behind someone's back. Whether there is anything virtuous about gossip, however, depends on the kind of gossip. Some gossip is idle, but some evaluative gossip promulgates and enforces norms. When properly motivated, such gossip effects positive change in society and counts as gossiping well. The virtue of gossiping well even includes some kinds of false gossip, namely the sort that exaggerates a pre-existing trait, thereby creating a caricature of a person's character in order to establish a moral exemplar (or anti-exemplar).

Gossip as a Burdened Virtue

“…Second, the topic of gossip typically seems to involve some sort of norm violation, either by the subject or the speaker. Robinson (2016) distinguishes between evaluative and idle gossip. Evaluative gossip assesses the absent subject by some normative criterion; for example, BVanessa is lazy,B Ewan stole $20,^or, BSam has the ugliest haircut.^In these examples, the speaker negatively evaluates the subject for an alleged norm violation.…”

“…Behavior-based gossip only discusses one or a few of the subject's past behavior(s), and patiency gossip discusses not what the subject has done but what has been done to him. As Robinson (2016) emphasizes, forewarned is forearmed: trait-based gossip has significant potential to impact the subject. If the gossip is negative, it can lead to his ostracism as a means of protecting others from him.…”

“…Martin and Cushman (2015) persuasively argue that direct punishment is best understood as a kind of partner control, whereas ostracism is best understood as a form of partner choice. 4 Robinson (2016) characterizes the moral psychological functions of gossip in terms of ostracism of a norm violator. We propose extending and combining these two views to more fully capture the moral psychological functions of gossip.…”

To Gossip or Not to Gossip: Reactions to a Perceived Request to Gossip – A Qualitative Study

“…However, gossip is not simply a mode of information transference. In fact, Robinson (2016) suggested that gossip is generally encoded with some salacious or amusing item of information about a third party, although Cuonzo (2008) claims that any utterance can be considered gossip under certain conditions and not gossip under others.…”

“…Active gossipers may not be trusted to keep discrete information to themselves, and therefore will be less attractive as close friends (Ellwardt et al 2012). Robinson (2016) notes that gossip can arise as a desire for vengeance. Michelson and Mouly (2000) contend that it is largely motivated by the gossip's ego and competitiveness.…”