I hate gossip.Imminent calamity seems to sell a lot better than a happy development.She proceeded to tell me all the "news" about people I knew, and people that I had never heard of. None of it was harmful on its own but it was infinitely boring and awkward. I honestly felt I was wasting my time and hers for no obvious reason. I also became very reluctant to share any of my "news" because I felt that it would very likely become public property.A lot of people have become so heavily conditioned to it that they fail to recognize it as gossip.Why doesn't anyone tell stories or spread rumors about good days, successful endeavors, and happy people?Most news items are about threats, criminal behavior, destruction, bankruptcy, war, etc.Yet, so much in the media, in publications, and on the Web is based on gossip.They regard it as news; information for public consumption.She then told me about someone else who carried on like me-someone I knew-and how sick she had gotten through overwork that she had to be hospitalized for about four months.I started feeling physically sick.