The chances are, we’ve all at some time engaged in a little tittle-tattle around the water cooler or around the table with a cup of tea or coffee. While it’s never particularly pleasant if you’re the subject of gossip-mongering, many of us would still count a little chinwagging as a human right.
Not so, according to council leaders in a small town called Binalonan in the Philippines, who have recently moved to prohibit what it deems as pointless gossip, claiming that not only does such gossip cause tensions between residents, but it is also one of the reasons why “fake news” spreads so quickly.
Residents found to be violating the new anti-gossiping laws could be fined or may have to perform hours of community services, including picking up rubbish from the streets, giving a whole new meaning to the term trash talk.
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What constitutes “gossiping” – or as it has become known in Binalonan, chismis – is subject to interpretation, and how those interpretations are to be made is very much a mystery, but local mayor Ramon Guico quoted that discussing the finances and relationships of others would be good examples of what would potentially result in punitive action being taken, according to an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Binalonan mayor Ramon Guico
According to Guico, the spread of false rumours and local tattle becomes much worse during the summer months when residents would gather in sunny hotspots underneath trees to converse with each other.
“We haven’t had to punish anyone for a second offence” Jovelyn Manaois, the local council leader, told the newspaper. “No one wants to be seen as a gossipmonger“.
Of course, helping curb the spread of fake news is a good thing, but can it be justified by taking action that could potentially be infringing on our civil liberties? Do we all have the right to indulge in a little gossip, even if that gossip is – more often than not – unverified rumours? Let us know your thoughts.