While looking for more neutral language websites, I came across this article and thought it was interesting.
It talks about how gossip is destructive as it doesn't seek facts and thus undermines the entire community (not blaming anyone here, but I couldn't help but draw the parallels).
Another point that was interesting was how we all hope to fit in our communities (this board is one), but there are various types of participants that in some matter or another won't be as accepted as others. It gave some reasons why, which I found very interesting. It seems that people do welcome and look for and strive for positive communications, whether it seems we relish conflict or not. It just depends on how educated the group is, I suppose, about group communication dynamics.
http://www.sharelynx.com/web/BDavey/SocialNetworks.htmSome goodies:
"Principle among these negative communications is gossip - defined in the dictionary as 'idle talk about others, regardless of the facts'."
"It is very difficult for anyone to hold isolated challenging opinions in the company of others, or to do things that others do not understand. It generates bad feelings between people and makes living together difficult. In groups such activity challenges the very glue that bonds it together. It risks expulsion and scapegoating. Since we are social animals and need each other for all sorts of reasons there are powerful reasons to get on with each other which might be termed a herd instinct."
"people often adopt strategies that can be negative or self defeating because they are not aware of alternatives"
