Say You Have Your Name Slandered: Now What?

So: your name has been slandered. Now what?

First of all, the intention of this article is not from a legal perspective (even if it's your intention to follow through with it, too, in case you are legally based), but rather a stand to be delivered to one who needs to rise from the ashes after being burned in a little (big?) fire.

How can one deal with the emotional consequences of one name being running, unfairly, in the mouths of the people?

Being targeted to slander has effects in a very personal way.

And like Bob Marley would say:

“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice”.

But let’s start from the beginning: what does slander mean?

What Does Slander Mean?

From a legal point of view, slander and libel are forms of defamation.

What's the main difference? The first is done verbally, while the other is done in a written form.

In these internet days, dark web, avatars, and fake accounts: defamation might be made in a written form (libel) but shows up as defamation through slander.

Defamation through slander is a false statement made that causes damage to the reputation of another person.

Let’s assume here that the gossip, the rumors, the killing lies, even if they are written and done by anonymous people. And let’s call it slander, using the term in a popular way.

The Anatomy of a “Good” Slander

When slander happens hardly is unintentional.

Here’s some sort of an anatomy of a “good” slander:

Gossip with a lie that contains within it, a little truth.

Any good liar knows that if you want a lie to stick: you have to put some truth in it.

It makes it more credible.

Is intentional and strategized

With a very small margin to fail, a person who spreads gossip to slander your name has the intention to harm your reputation.

Gossip is strategized to ruin those they view as better than themselves .

Is intentional and strategized (cont.)

Normally come from emotions like jealousy and/or envy from someone who feels threatened by whatever you have and they don’t have. Status, beauty, kindness, (relative) youth, whatever…

You name it: everyone has their own kryptonite.

They do it to try and bring you down.

They do it to try and build themselves up.

Has a mean of distribution

It may be conveyed verbally, but these days, social media and the dark web are the most preferred means.

Has an audience

The audience normally is your circle of influence: coworkers, family, and friends.

Eventually grows into a bigger community of strangers who have that herd behavior: do it because others do it, without really considering if rumors are true or not or if they serve of any good to anyone who receives it.

And these people get bonded by this sense of power “of-knowing-something-of-you”: and thus are created conditions to form a gossip-community around you or your name.