Gossip, Innuendo, and Worse

As with many occupations, many use similar methods though applied to differing venues. For example, teachers of different subjects. Ditto for engineers, psychologists, law enforcers, attorneys, and more. Today, it is the turn for public commentators – all stripes.

The gossip columnist needs to be correct only occasionally. In accuracy, most need only to be close -  like in horseshoes, but out of slander’s reach. This makes for a lucrative life whose subjects know what fear and gossip can do.  Such is the brutal world of public individuals whose lives can be wrecked by a single shot. 

News pundits, and junior versions, need only be plausible and have a constituency. Each needs only to avoid totally blatant, provable lies, concentrating on rumor and innuendo with a few selected truths mixed in.  Freedom of speech grants this right to everyone.  You or I cannot take advantage except at home, but many make a living on innuendo, in the press, on TV, in books, in blogs, and interviews.

Having even a less burden are the business analysts.  They need only suggest directions, stocks, or trends.  They have alt-cover by another projecting and suggesting the exact opposite.  With the vagueness of market meanderings, anyone is potentially correct at least half the time.  Anyway, the business climate is so volatile, projections are soon forgotten, if they are believed in the first place.

Worst of all are the politicians, for whom gossip, rumor, and innuendo are mother’s milk.  For these folks, downright lies and deceit are the common fair.  Slander in small doses is even ok.  Low cal and fat free, their communications give meaning to old-fashioned demagoguery. Make a voter afraid or make the public cower is a recipe for success.  

With a bit of self-reflection, we arrive at the deep bottom.  The Blogger follows no rules of accuracy, truth, or whatever. Anything goes. The strongest requirement is slight, that of approximately 8^th grade grammar.

The world of gossip, rumor, innuendo, suggestion, projection, and downright lies enjoys a large population with thousands possessing or applying for lucrative jobs. Why insist on knowing like the scientist, they ask, when you can do as well with mere hints?