Heard It Through The Grapevine

Ok so it's a really old song, but this phrase has become a familiar one to all English speakers. In Bahrain's case it's a really big, entwined vine. The recent "rumor" about the cutting the camping season short reached every corner of Bahrain, with a little help of recent technological advancement called BlackBerry. I don't remember having so many people asking the same question at the same time.

Anybody who has any basic grasp of the Arabic language would immediately figure out that it was written by, well, someone who obviously doesn't have a grasp on the Arabic language. The issue I'm getting at is not the recent rumors, regardless how silly they are, it's actually the disgusting hobby that is gossiping. I'm not targeting a certain gender (all you women who just raised their eyebrows can relax). It's so annoying to even be talking about something so silly, but it has become an out of control issue that seriously needs to be tackled on all levels. I fear I'm going to be boring you again with an issue that concerns Bahraini society, but someone needs to be talking about it eventually.

I remember back in school gossip was a just a fact of life, it was, to a certain extent, teenage narrow mindedness with a tang of innocent mischief. But as all things in life it has taken a more serious note as we grow older. Now it seems that it has mutated and become an uncontrollable monster when people actually spread rumors about the false death of other people. I can only imagine the faces of the parents of those "rumored dead" when receiving that their sons/daughters have passed away. The only wish is that I hope this kind of rumors reaches those that have spread them about their loved ones one day, and let's see them taking the joke lightly. Another kind which is lighter but in my opinion spreads even faster is the annual rumors of salary increases, or the government magically erases all debt on citizens. This kind is by far my favorite, I mean people have become so desperate for handouts that they will stick to the TV, go through every inch of the newspapers just to confirm it, all the while they keep having dreams and calculations on when to have another loan. Silly.

The examples are so numerous but the idea is simple, people who spread rumors or take part in it need a bang on the head (90% of Bahrainis would have lumps on their heads). They need to be informed that rumor spreading actually can affect people's lives, and I don't think a beneficial effect. Rumors can even shake the economy if gone unchecked. So please if you should receive news from people, just take a few moments and check for yourself. Technology helped news to reach all corners of the world in moments, and it's just inexcusable to blindly spread rumors. And if it's about someone's death, then just delete it, regardless of any truth in it, and remember that you wouldn't want to receive news about your loved ones through some silly broadcast.

I've talked too much, but I think I still need to talk about this issue, maybe in future posts. But for now I'm done with my rant.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad