In section 4, we add complexity to the functional analysis by thinking through the fact that-while much gossip is false or misleading-much of it is true. The primary objection against gossip is that it can be-and often is-false. By gossiping, we warn others about wrongdoers (including oppressors) and call for a collectively safer means of punishing wrongdoers than direct confrontation. Gossip is a normatively laden speech act that functions as a means of partner control and partner choice through ostracism. To argue that gossip is a burdened virtue, we must first consider gossip’s nature and function, tasks we take up in sections 2 and 3. We argue that a disposition to gossiping well can be what Lisa Tessman ( 2005) calls a “burdened virtue.” As we explain in more detail in section 5, Tessman contends that in the context of oppression, certain traits become virtues for people in systematically disempowered situations, which can be used in the pursuit of flourishing in the context of oppression and as means of helping others who are similarly disadvantaged. Though the class of speech acts in which we’re interested is not perfectly captured by the folk notion of gossip, the overlap is substantial, so we will refer to our target as ‘gossip’.
In this paper, we explore the morality of such speech acts. We are not in a position to assess these particular episodes, but we think they make the stakes clear: talking about people behind their backs can have serious consequences.
A specific “blue house” located at 59½ N Court Street was identified as ground zero for the fraternity’s systematic sexual assaults, and Google still returns multiple pictures of the stigmatized house. The petition cited and screencapped posts on Yik Yak, the anonymous geo-located social media app, as evidence against the fraternity. Footnote 1 In 2015, a petition at called on Ohio University to ban the ACACIA fraternity for engaging in systematic sexual assault and rape. A similar list, with four names, was written on the walls of multiple women’s bathrooms in and around Columbia University in 2014. The New York Times quoted one of those named as saying, “I’ve been labeled guilty with no chance to defend myself” (Celis 1990). The names of as many as thirty male students eventually made it onto the list, which, despite being scrubbed clean by janitorial staff multiple times, was often updated. The walls of the women’s bathroom in the university library became a canvas for rape accusations. In 1990, furor over sexual misconduct at Brown University boiled over. It can be a fun way to pass the time or a cathartic way to blow off steam, but gossip and related speech acts can also be deeply serious. Talking about others behind their back is a time-worn tradition.
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