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[NFossil]

I was under the impression that rumors or wrong accusations without factual basis whatsoever cannot hurt anyone that's decent enough in terms of knowledge, abilities, and the way to treat others. People that don't know this person may think something, but these people likely have nothing to do with him/her anyway. People who really know this person wouldn't believe those outrageous claims. Of course, I'm not talking about wrong evidence, like some recent news about genetic labs having mistakes on rape cases. Actually some of my relatives, being very nice and respectable people, managed to fight off some rumors easily, so I know this can happen to some extent.
Well, when I brought this up somewhere else, nobody seemed to believe. The problem is, they usually bring up conditions that are exceedingly rare in my point of view. What if someone is just bored? Well, how many bored people will risk the effort and legal consequences to defame others, if just for fun? What if you step on someone accidentally and he now hates you? Damn it, I say - Is it really that hard to be nice? Just say "sorry" instead of "why the hell didn't you step aside" should be enough. He might still be angry, but unlikely to be angry enough to, well, follow you and try to ruin your life.
So if it boils down to conflict of interests, say someone wants your position. I believe if one has enough ability to do his job well, people would believe that he'll, well, be appropriate for that position. Plus, any rumor without factual basis can be discredited.
I wonder what's other people's experience with this kind of thing. I know people that get into trouble due to not being nice, and people that are immune to rumors due to being decent. I have run into trouble myself because of, well, no reason. I guess it was racism. However, faced with unfounded hostility, other people at the scene supported me, so I believe that people won't just follow anything.
Maybe I'm just too lucky, and maybe some people I know are just too good. Whatever.

[chaoticag]

I can't say that I agree with the idea that false rumors can be discredited, at least not within a reasonable timeframe. The problem is that people can use speculation to justify rumors, and I know this does happen because it has happened to me more than once.

This is more or less the whole list on rumors about me:

-That I was a homosexual (This happened multiple times, in multiple places.)

-That I've had my powerful dad deport a good friend because he insulted me. (Most of my friends had to go overseas, hence the rumor)

-That I was going out with a girl. (Just friends, two cases and both ended up ruining the friendships.)

-That I made out with a friend. (The actual rumor was worse, and this is an exageration of what happened.)

[viskaslietuvai]

Yeah, I gotta say that NFossil's perspective, while positive, strikes me as naive. Rumors spread like wildfire in a variety of places. The most obvious ones do tend to fizzle out, but on occasion they ruin lives. I remember hearing about a woman's therapist who convinced her that she had been sexually abused by her father and repressed the memory. That got out and the father's reputation was destroyed, he was a doctor but lost his practice and became a pariah.It was later revealed that the therapist was wrong, (I believe he came out and said that the story was fabricated by himself) but then the father's life had already been ruined. Frequently, all it takes is the accusation.

Look at government. Are the people there necessarily the best for the job? If you're conservative, do you think Tim Geithner or Barney Frank are the most qualified for their respective jobs or did they get in on connections? If you're liberal, do you feel that Alberto Gonzales or Donald Rumsfeld were qualified or got in on connections? By the way, I like Geithner and Frank, though the former does need to display his chops relatively soon and the letter can be a bit combative.

I live in a fairly backwoods town and sometimes check out trials 'cause it's free entertainment and there have been a few times when I was surprised at the people that got off who I was convinced were guilty and I'm not a law and order hardliner. These were not small crimes. One was a rape/domestic abuse case. The rationale of the jurors from what I heard from the DA's office was that the victim was the defendant's wife, therefore she was without right of refusal.

All these examples are to show that it would be nice if people could only make decisions through rational factual evidence, but we have all these personal biases and emotions that make us human. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.

[Yanlin]

It's a double standard really. If a woman barges into a police station screaming that she had been raped... You can guess what happens.

If a man complains about being raped... He just gets laughed off.

[viskaslietuvai]

Generally that is true. There was that instance a couple years back when the University of North Carolina lacrosse team, I think, was accused of raping a girl. Turned out it was false, but most people believed the girl without question.
The problem up where I live is that, though the police will treat a domestic violence victim seriously, the jury couldn't give a fuck. The values up here are that your wife and pets are yours to do with as you please. It's terrifically difficult to get a conviction on domestic violence or animal abuse charges.

[Yanlin]

AKA known as conservativeville.

[Psyco Jelly]

I've noticed a tendency for normal humans, (Not rational people), to believe the first thing they learn of, and discredit everything else, even in the presence of overwhelming evidence.

[Yanlin]

Which is why I do not condone children being taught religion.

[Darkone]

Which is why I do not condone children being taught religion.

*Zing*

[Captain Hat]

Rumors and plotting is what caused my father to lose his job, develop diabetes, and eventually get brain cancer and die.

The stress of dealing with others who think they have something to fear from you, and aren't afraid of bringing you down, can kill you.

[Muz]

I've noticed a tendency for normal humans, (Not rational people), to believe the first thing they learn of, and discredit everything else, even in the presence of overwhelming evidence.

There's a psychological term for exactly that. It's a common one too.

Thing is, that's how humans learn. This gullibility makes them absorb information faster than monkeys, and lets them memorize it better.

I've had a lot of people start rumors on me. A LOT of rumors. I simply discredit them by offering money to people who can prove it. That makes people think.. and in the process of trying to prove it, end up disproving it.

[JoshuaFH]

Slander is something that must be treated seriously, and should be investigated if ever to be believed.

Otherwise, terrible things happen, of course.

[Ampersand]

Actual rumors about me:

I punched a desk in half in high school and went to juvie (I got in a shouting match with a teacher and slammed my hand into a desk, got In School Suspension.) I actually let this one slide.

I am a eunuch.

I am apparently insanely violent.

I am utterly hilarious. I don't know where people get this idea.

I allegedly put a guy on the floor with a kick to the face. Then again, that is how we correographed it to look.

I am either obsessively clean or always covered in filth depending on who you ask.

[Tormy]

I've noticed a tendency for normal humans, (Not rational people), to believe the first thing they learn of, and discredit everything else, even in the presence of overwhelming evidence.

Those people are ignorant. Simple as that. 

[chaoticag]

I've noticed a tendency for normal humans, (Not rational people), to believe the first thing they learn of, and discredit everything else, even in the presence of overwhelming evidence.

There's a psychological term for exactly that. It's a common one too.

Primacy effect?