Think of all the gossip and slander that happens every day, and people don’t think it’s a big deal. It’s sad, and all of us have been the victims and all of us have done it to others at various times.
Dr. Laura has a wonderful analogy to rumor-mongering, and the permanence of spreading gossip:
Take a feather pillow, slit it open, and let all the feathers fly in the wind.
Now, go get all the feathers and put them back.