Opinion | Gossip is a good remedy against the abuse of power

Philosopher and lecturer Fleur Jongepier recently spoke out against the inappropriate behavior of some of her colleagues after she resigned from Radboud University in Nijmegen. While I admire her determination to break the silence, she breaks my heart to think that quitting was her only way to escape this toxic work culture. Surely there must be other ways for her to fight back?

Time and time again we hear the same story: powerful men misbehaving because they think they can get away with it. Because they trust the system to work for them.

Take the movie for example She said, directed by Maria Schrader and written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, is currently in theaters. The film tells how journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey van The New York Times Harvey Weinstein’s abuse and sexual misconduct revealed. We see in the film how difficult it was for Kantor and Twohey to get official testimony from Weinstein’s victims. Confidentiality agreements, financial agreements, threats of lawsuits, fear of job loss or damage to reputation; the system appears to be fully set up to silence the victims and give free rein to the perpetrators. Weinstein was able to carry on unhindered and with impunity for decades.

Wall of privacy

But the first crack in the wall of secrecy that surrounded Weinstein and the system that protected him was gossip. While gossip has a bad reputation, it can be a powerful tool against such harassers.

Anne Helen Petersen enters BuzzFeed news that many women had long known Weinstein was a danger. For them, gossip is often a survival strategy. It’s “what women use to protect each other when the traditional methods — file a report with HR, go head-to-head, report to the police — just don’t work.” So many men misbehave that Peterson says “women have become dependent on unofficial media to protect themselves.”

Actress Nathalie Portman’s advice to women in Hollywood was to “gossip well.” She stresses the importance of speaking up when necessary, especially if you can protect or warn a colleague.

Gossip is a good way to gather information and find out if others have had similar experiences. Realizing that you are not alone and especially not isolated are the first steps in self-defense.

By working together, victims are more likely to take action and defend themselves

And by working together, victims are more likely to take action and defend themselves. The two reporters She said they soon realize that if they could round up some of Weinstein’s victims, they’d likely agree to make an official statement (which they eventually did).

Negative connotations

Peterson notes that “no wonder so many men ridicule and scorn gossips, it is our most effective armor against their misdeeds.”

In the article From Whisper Network to #MeToo: framing gender, gossip and sexual harassment Maria Verena Peters explains how men in high positions used negative connotations for gossip as a “spoken weapon against women”. The author notes that the word “gossip” has acquired such a strong stigma that describing women as gossips has become a common strategy to silence them.

The New York Times she published the story on Oct. 5, 2017. Soon after, 82 more women came forward with allegations against Weinstein, sparking workplace and legislation reforms.

While these events bode well, I would like more workplace reforms. First, we don’t try to get employees to stop gossiping. And let’s take the stigma out of the word “gossip,” especially when it comes to women.