The Telephone Game

I remember playing the telephone game in elementary school. The teacher would have us stand in a circle and she would whisper a few sentences into a child’s ear that was standing next to her. That child would then whisper to the next and so on. The last child in the circle would recite what was told to him/her and everyone would get a laugh because the phrases were twisted round and rarely even came close to what the teacher said in the first place.

This game had a purpose in elementary school. It taught some valuable lessons about gossiping and passing along rumors. It also taught that things can get twisted around when passed from one person to another.

As adults, I think we forget that the game of telephone can exist. We take a lot of what people say as truth and disregard what we know about people in favor of the horrible things that have been heard. We know this person or that person would never do something like that, but believe what others tell them. I just don’t get it.

I hope you are reading this entry and have no idea what I am talking about. That would be a very good thing. If you do know what I am talking about then perhaps you are a victim of the game of telephone. If you have emailed me and asked me to explain, I thank you. Of course, I can’t help but think you emailed me in the first place because you thought there might be some truth to what you have heard. If that is the case, you should know me better than that.

I am tired of reading the innuendos in blogs. I am tired of feeling the need to defend myself when I have done nothing wrong. Since I am not allowed to address this where I really want to, I will do it here. I am opening myself up to criticism, ridicule, and lies. Go for it. Post you comments, questions, threats….if you have something to say, say it to my face.

And if you want the truth, you know where to find me and how to reach me.