The Inner Workings of a Rumor Mill

If rumor mills had a physical appearance I imagine Tucker County would look like the photo below dotted along the mountainsides would be those little wind powered rumor mills sucking in both truths and lies and grinding them beneath two giant stone discs producing a rumor that is neither a lie nor a truth but contains aspects of both. I imagine those rumors once ground, to be the consistency of birdseed to be scattered upon the ground for the local bird the gossiper to swoop down and peck at before carrying some off to their nest some with bigger jaws to pack it in than others.

Don't get me wrong I love the area I live in and I wouldn't trade my small town for anyplace on Earth but every small town comes with the benefit of everyone knowing your name and the curse of everyone knowing your business. The thing about these rumor mills is normal mills run with the promise of profit that will line the pockets of those who operate them while rumor mills offer no promise at all other than another story to pass along that may make or break someone at any given moment.

The sole purpose of a rumor is to allow someone with nothing to say to fill their minds with enough junk that their mouths can utter a sentence. The problem is they're often spoken by those who know almost nothing about the subject matter they claim to be an expert on and even if they are involved you won't get the whole story as it always has two sides. If you approach one side without hearing the other you'll lack the evidence necessary to draw any real conclusion and if you don't want to approach both sides and ask you're probably minding someone else's business that doesn't need your nose in it to begin with.

The next time you hear a rumor go ask the person it's about and find out for yourself if it's true or assume it's probably just a rumor being spread by someone who has nothing better to do than gossip about someone else's life due the mundane nature of their own.