by Nola Michailovic

Created on: July 09, 2010

As words carry intent and tone in the case of defamation there are a few things that should be considered. Defamation has many forms personal,public & political. In most cases the person/s involved all have a common interest. It seems these days people are quick to judge based on an others here say or allegations without sticking to the bare facts of the matter. In social situations there is generally an undercurrent of self soothing going on by the person defaming another.

It may hold flickers of the truth mixed with lies or a complete fabrication of the truth in order to gain social status or make another seem unappealing to others. People need to be aware of the law and the basics that anyone can say anything they like about another as freedom of speech but when this impacts on others basic rights and they are violated .In legal cases one can allege what ever they like it is then in court they must prove these allegations.

The damage both personally and publicly can be devastating and have unspeakable repercussions,depending on the degree of allegations made against another. Psychological damage may cause a person to commit suicide or impact on their family life in ways that effect the people that love them. The severity of the defamation can vary greatly from schoolyard bulling to corporate slander and political backlash. We need to look closely at the people making the allegations what is the intent and tone behind what they are saying and how best to manage and  overcome.

Generally, defamation is to lower a person,  be this in a social status or public sector to make another person appear better or right. It is a dirty game that is played by  weak ill equipt  people who wish to cause harm to another.It can be a simple statement or an elaborate tale the effects can be equally damaging. Eg: Bob the guy down the road is a paedophile or something told to another intending to cause harm in a social circle to freeze someone out. For example, "Sara is a thief."

The ways defamation is generally by the written or spoken word used with intent and can be easily spoken or written but have little or now way or retraction once it has been said or done. People need to be very careful with their words and intentions and add weight to the saying 'Think before you speak'  along with if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all. I personally believe actions speak louder than words and i dont judge people on what they or others say but on what they do including how they treat me personally. I believe words have wings so speak good things. Words are not  bullets but  spoken with intent can be devastating and to define defamation would be to rewrite the human language, speak only the truth and use kind words.

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