What Is Gossip?

[havok579257]

So my question is what exactly is gossip. I understand that talking directly about a person to another is gossip. My question boils down to speaking about a group of people, but not as individuals. My example is:

If you work somewhere and talk with other co-workers about on the job mistakes and errors of an entire department but never an individual person is that gossip? Like if me and a co-worker were talking about how the tech department always screws stuff up, doesn't care that they screw it up, doesn't care about the customer, doesn't try to correct mistakes, has no accountability and also talk about all the times they have messed up when it comes to when I dealt with them, is this gossip even though were are speaking in generalities since the tech department let's say has over 500 employees? If it is gossip could it ever be a mortal sin since you speaking about a department of over 500 people and not one individual person?

[CatherineM]

Part of what you should look at is intent. Does the discussion serve a purpose? If it is part of an evaluation that has the purpose of improving the efficiency of the office, or to recommend improvements, then it has a useful, non-gossip, purpose. If it is just to make conversation at the water cooler, that is different. Here's the problem with just speaking in generalities, organizations or departments or companies themselves can be dysfunctional just as personal relationships can be. If we expect a child to act out, they will. If we expect our spouses to be violent or unfaithful, chances are they will be. If we brand a department as full of screw-ups, then what reason do they have to go out of their way to be competent and professional?

There's also a big difference between something being sinful, and it just not being productive or professional. I do lots of stupid stuff, but that doesn't necessarily make it a sin.