GOSSIPING ABOUT public figures has been par for the course in most cultures for generations, so the advent of social media – Facebook, Twitter, text messages and email – has simply expanded the ways, intensity and reach of this talk.
Because of the nature of social media relationships, one can be linked to scores of people whom you’ve never actually met in person, yet regularly exchange information with on a variety of matters. And herein lies the danger of a juicy piece of gossip making the rounds like a wild fire fanned by a strong breeze. No wonder these messages are often said to have gone viral.
Generally, when people think of anything referred to as viral they picture a rampaging disease spreading indiscriminately due to a virus. No one can control it and the damage it causes is enormous.
A similar impact can result from viral messages that are the product of gossip and innuendo because perception being what it is, most people tend to believe what they hear and/or read from those they “know”. And as social media allow for thousands of acquaintances, messages sent from one contact is usually passed on to other contacts, often, I suspect, without a thought of whether what is being said is true or of the impact it can have on those mentioned.
That is the kind of situation in which popular entertainer John King finds himself. In the last few weeks, several viral text messages have been stating that a number of prominent people were caught in a sexually compromising position by a spouse. One of the people consistently mentioned is King, and those he was supposedly with are all politicians.
Denied
The two-time calypso monarch has emphatically denied the persistent rumours and spoke out about the issue because of the devastating impact the talk is having on his loved ones. Saying that people who read and believe such things needed to ask questions, King stated: “Something would tell me that if a story keeps changing almost every two weeks, it can’t make sense . . . . Ask yourself a question: why would someone text me some foolishness about another person? Were you there? No! Did you see it? No! But even if you were there and you saw it, what? It isn’t your business.
“How does this impact on your life? How does this stop you from getting up every morning and going to work? You have to look to the things in life that are causing you problems and deal with them,” said King.
He added: “One policy I have lived my life by always is that I will not be a subject of the Job or the Jesus syndrome. It is two things that people, especially black people, do all the time: you would hear somebody come and say like this thing, ‘John King is a . . . .’ and someone would say, ‘Man, John, don’t tek on dat dey so, man. Don’t say nutting ’bout it; let it pass’.
“You got a couple of options in life – you can pretend the problem does not exist; you can try to avoid it; you could submit to or give way to it; or you can stand up and face it. I’ve always stood up and faced it because when you allow people – don’t care who they are (family, friends, whoever) – to rid you of your self-determinism, you become a poppet.
“A man without self-determination can’t think for himself, can’t make a decision for himself, and is nothing more than a slave. As a people we have been through that years ago.
“In 2012 I refuse to be a slave to whatever culture that people say is the norm in Barbados. If the norm is not progressive, if the norm is counterproductive, why would I want to be a part of that? Why can’t I think for myself? So I always try to encourage people to stop and think.”
It’s easy to see this as a problem only for King and laugh it off. But to do so would be to miss the big picture and the real message here. That is, we are all vulnerable to such statements being made about us and widely circulated. And let’s face facts, not all of us would have the courage to endure such an attack on our character.
Daily life
My fear, though, is that such viral messages will play an increasingly active part in our daily political life, further confusing fact and fiction, and elevating character assassination, misinformation and downright lies to an even higher level.
Though this will come over as incest, it must be said that this is why the public needs the independence and balance afforded in THE NATION newspapers and on Starcom Network’s radio stations. We have to stand up to legal scrutiny and cannot hide behind the anonymity of viral messages or postings on blogs.
ON ANOTHER NOTE: Early birthday greetings to Winston “Pop” Walker, former senior editor at THE NATION, whose knowledge and guidance continue to be an inspiration.
• Sanka Price is SATURDAY SUN editor.
