I would love to touch on something with relevance to yesterday’s convers8tion that I had, with the lovely @craftsmanToxophilite . You know, when I framed my faux reluctance as avoiding something “scandalous”, I knew that it was o8vious I was yanking the chain. Nevertheless, it got me thinking. Is gossip really inherently all that harmful or neg8tive? Often, we are scolded 8y the socially righteous (referencing no8ody in particular, of course), we are told that it is inconsider8te. 8ut what if it’s the most consider8te thing you could do? What if it’s more consider8te than “minding our 8usiness”? In fact, more people gossip than you would expect! Every8ody does it at one point or another, whether they realize it or not. Perhaps due to having their own definition of “gossip”, excluding what they would see as simply warning a good friend, or protecting them from the real deceit. Perhaps they also exclude the casual passing of inform8tion 8rought up out of pure o8serv8tion, lacking all animosity or judgement. An example would 8e our harmless and fun acknowledging of Cronus exploring his inner furry, which is great. Not my thing, 8ut no shame in that game. Yet these are still considered gossip! And that’s ok. ::::) Let’s take a look here at some of the long term and even COLLECTIVE 8enefits. I’m sure we’ve all had one of those moments where some8ody in the group was downright nasty, dangerously so. Selfish. 8ut you’re the only one that witnessed their true colors! What would you do? Would you continue minding your 8usiness? Keeping your head out of it to avoid 8eing seen as a conniving lying gossiper? May8e! 8ut you would 8e the immoral one in this situ8tion, ena8ling them to take advantage of everyone else around you. The chances of your own reput8tion coming under the microscope are still rather high, 8ut as upstanding citizens it is our duty to maintain the integrity of the whole. Who would we 8e, to allow that disgusting 8ehavior to persist? So, this leaves the question of whether the majority of gossip is simply a cruel 8acksta88ing power trip, or a necessary aspect of communic8tion and 8onding. And how do we tell? Great question! See, I have no pro8lem differentiating the two, as I naturally have a much higher perception due to my advanced mind powers. Not everyone has that privilege in their 8ack pocket. So, ask yourself this next time you are approached 8y another with gossip, which would typically cause most to turn their noses up. Is the person at the receiving end of criticism the type to save face? Or perhaps the one who comes to you? The a8ility to read people’s inner workings comes in handy here. Very crucial. As it is with nearly every social interaction. It’s such an art, to hone that type of guesswork and pattern recognition in order to uphold the greater good of society. One that I don’t have the requirement of so much, as I’ve spent quite a lot of time in the minds of others in my past. All in all, gossip is an integral part of socializ8tion with high evolutionary impact! It serves as one of the most simple 8onding and rel8tional rituals while 8ehaving like a vehicle to weed out the 8ad influences. However much you’re doing now? Do it more. As much as it pains me to cut this off, I will leave us there. For the next discussion: What patterns can 8e recognized in an especially covert slimy individual, in order to properly o8serve the differences 8etween nefarious lies spun into gossip, or genuine warnings worth heeding? #MindfangMusings
8=l < Personally I just like to hear interesting things about halternates of my friends 8=l < I find no shame in being a furry personally 8=l < Though it comes as no surprise that I am one myself 8=l < Though my roots run deeper as I am also a therian 8=l < In a sense though, isn't Cronus also that? 8=l < He longs to be human 8=l < Very furry adjacent 8=l < The cat ears were lacy, not realistic 8=l < This leads me to believe he was not trying to be a cat at all, but a niche subset of human called a "Catgirl"
Oh my gosh… you might 8e right! I’m not too familiar with that particular genre of human, I guess I have some research to do. I can’t 8elieve that didn’t cross my mind.
8=l < I have spent a lot of time among humans and have learned more than my fair share
I would love to gain insight on these things.
8=l < Catgirls are cute girls with varying levels of cat features but are always primarily human 100king 8=l < Our Leijons w001d fit well into the niche as a troll variant 8=l < Tails and cat ears are a must at minimum, sometimes depicted as real but sometimes not 8=l < Often cutesy and pretend to purr and meow and just generally be as adorable as possible
How endearing and simultaneously jarring. At least coming from him. 8ut I suppose we must chart all waters to find ourselves. Shall I get him a tail?
8=l < It w001d be positive reinforcement to do so 8=l < As a supportive friend I implore you to get him a tail
This is one of the rare occasions where I will gladly take some8ody’s advice on a matter. I will update you!