Nothing to see here

On any one morning a rumour can be half way round the world before the truth is out of bed.  Once a rumour starts, it can develop into fact. That’s the unpalatable truth about reality.  Sometimes we think that if we ignore the rumour it goes away and we don’t have to confront it.  How wrong we can sometimes be.

At the end of last week there were a series of rumours that a well known character in Wexford town had died.    While the individual was ill and hospitalised, the person was not dead and indeed was undergoing  treatment for their condition.

A person’s illness is their private business and not anyone else’s regardless of how connected a person might be.  Yet on Friday afternoon, I turned on my mobile to receive messages enquiring as to whether this person had died.  The rumours had been rife on facebook and social media.  In one case I saw questions on twitter seeking clarification of the rumours from a media source.  Today 5 days on, I’m still being asked.

The Irish modified Social Media to become a modern day valley of the squinting windows 2.0.  Can we not grow up?  In future it might be easier to go up and visit the individual in their ward rather than feed the rumour mill.