05.04.16 The 14th Driver of Negative Gossip
14. Desire for Cheap Popularity
Cheap popularity has to do with one’s inclination to seek ‘undeserved fame’ through bypassing or overstepping the acceptable norms and standards required to climb the ‘popularity’ ladder. The tendency to seek cheap popularity is a common propagator of negative gossip, especially since ‘juicy rumours’ pull crowds, particularly those of people desiring to keep abreast of the trending or latest news on the grapevine. Indeed, if one is not careful, gossip can be so sweet that it draws you into it. Proverbs 26:22 issues a warning which reads (VOICE): 22Whispered gossip is like a delicious first course: it is devoured with pleasure and then penetrates deep within you...
Time and again, I have often wondered why those who knew the truth about us just remained tight-lipped, went with the flow, or probably participated in propagating the defamatory rumour against us, even as the fire caused by negative gossipers threatened to eliminate me and burn our organisation down. Could they have been seeking some form of cheap popularity from the people who started the rumour in the first place?
For Sanballat and Tobiah, there is a high likelihood that negative gossip could have been one of the avenues they were using to gain cheap popularity amongst their Jewish in-laws (Nehemiah 6:17-19), of course in addition to other motivators discussed earlier.
Looking at JuaLink, you may have discovered that Lulu desired cheap fame since she would use bad rumours as a ‘currency’ to ‘purchase’ ‘popularity’ from workmates. For instance, the publicity officer was a self-appointed informant for superiors; and a magnet for team members and other colleagues, all for the sole purpose of creating a followership. It was Lulu’s hunger for cheap popularity that drove her to feed supervisors such as Obed, Eliya, Njia and others with the latest negative gossip. The same ‘gossip-purchased fame’ secured her position as the head of the gossip-infested prayer fellowship. To stay in the lead, the publicity officer worked ‘tooth and nail’ to frame bad rumours as ‘gospel truth’ such that whatever she said ‘would go’, which contributed greatly to her cheap popularity among partners, mentees and followers.