Rumors can
be very hurtful to people. They can
fabricate an image of a person who maybe did not do what society calls the
“right thing.” Rumors are said to be understood by “Having expressions of our
collective fears, hopes, and attitudes about the community and the world we
live in” (Behrens 478). Rumors might
start out somewhat true and end up completely false the next. However, when people are telling rumors they
might add extra details to make the story more dramatic for the listener. Rumors can also proliferate when it is of
interest to a group of people to make others think that everyone is talking
that certain way.
An example
of a recent rumor is about a senior named Jacob Shoemaker, from Hilliard
Davidson High School who got in trouble for not following directions. His school was participating in national
walkout day for people who were for gun control. The students could either walkout or go to
study hall instead. He didn’t want to do
either one because he felt like that meant he was picking a side so he just
stayed in the classroom till the walkout was over. However, come to find out he got suspended
for not following directions (Snopes 2018). This rumor
is hurtful because he was not going to participate in something he did not feel
was right. The rumor had some truth to
it, “It was true that Jacob was suspended after he remained in a classroom while
his classmates took part in the protest.
The part that was false was, “Jacob did get suspended for not going to
study hall as directed, not for refusing to take part in the protest” (Snopes 2018).
This rumor
is considered hurtful because Jacob was getting punished for something he did
not feel comfortable participating in. A
psychologist named Robert H. Knapp came up with the three basic characteristics
of rumors that are all based on emotions (497). In this particular rumor shared using Knapp’s classifications this rumor
would be called a, “Wedge-driving aggression rumor which means of hatred or
aggression” (496). Within this
rumor it seems that the Wedge-diving aggression fits best. It seemed like he was being targeted for not
believing in what the other students and people were for. Therefore, they suspended him out of hatred
and aggression for his actions. It seems
this way because he didn’t want to follow the rest of his classmates in the
walkout. This rumor can become
disasterous to the student because of how they responded to the actions of not
participating.
People want
to have a voice and freely express how they feel. However, if punishment is the result of
standing up for what they believe in that would make many people reluctant in
saying anything at all. That right there
seems disaterous in itself. People want
to have that “stand up guy” to ultimately take a stand for what a group of
people believe in so they can follow and become that person’ supporters. At the
end of the day it’s all in how a situation is handled.
Knapp not
only came up with the classification of rumors but, also came up with the
qualities of a good rumor (497). The first quality is it, is good to have a short and
simple story just like the example, just the title alone gives the main point
of the rumor (Knapp 497). The second quality makes for a good story and it fits on the
actions that are happening today (Knapp 497). The
third quality is Easily disorted because the student didn’t get suspended for
refusing to protest (Knapp 498). The fourth quality is the names, numbers, and places. The
name of the student was Jacob Shoemaker there were no numbers because there was
no reason for numbers and took place at Hilliard High School (Knapp 498). The fifth quality
was high authoritative source the rumor is both important and accurate to what
really happened to Jacob (Knapp 498). The sixth quality is, “harmony with cultural
traditions of a group in which they circulate in this rumor people
from all over the states would know about this rumor but not the truth to
it (Knapp 498). The last quality is, “It adapts to
the immediate and traditional circumstances of a group that it must ride the
tide of current events in public opinions and interests" (Knapp 498).
The rumor
encourages “shared human sense making” for people who get upset and feel hatred
when they don’t get their way, as a result wanting others to be punished for
not agreeing with their personal thinking processes.
Therefore,
standing up for what you believe in is a very brave thing to do. Though some might applaud him for taking
action others will be very aggressive towards what they believe is wrong. For Jacob not knowing what the right thing to
do in the situation he was given ended up getting in trouble anyways. This
rumor fits all the qualities of a good rumor in Knapps outline and is
considered a “Wedge-driving aggression rumor” in Knapps classification of
rumors. The outcome could have been
handled not as harsh as they were leading on with suspension. Sometimes being
strong in what you believe in and standing up for what is right does make for a
strong leader even though Jacob got suspended he definitely is leader material.
