This incident was an interpersonal conflict I encountered myself. I am sure many of us have experienced backstabbing and conflict during our Secondary school days.
I was from a girl’s school during my secondary school days and this happened when I was in Secondary 2. I knew a girl from Secondary 3 who was named Shu Ting as well but with a different surname.( Let’s call her ST) We were not exactly the closest of friends but we were cordial with each other and greeted each other whenever we met. This was what happened. I got news one day that ST was spreading rumours about me, accusing me of hacking into her msn and other online accounts to talk to her friends. I also heard that she was unhappy because I was smearing her name online. Apparently, ST deduced that I was the culprit because we shared the same name. What happened next could be well seen as bullying in school. Whenever ST walked past me in school, both she and friends would call me demeaning names and throw profanities at my friends. My friends, of course, retaliated. I was so angry of being accused so badly that I complained about it to most of my friends. Little did I know that my friends were already plotting a get back at ST. They started a whole string of rumours about ST and ruined her reputation at school very badly. I eventually “won” and got the masses to support me instead of ST. My friendship with ST was, however, damaged beyond repair and I never talked to her again.
This is an example of a very childish incident that occurred due to miscommunication. Firstly I believe that this happened because ST and I did not understand each other well enough. Next, ST should not have jumped to the conclusion that I was the one who hacked into her account without even approaching me to ask me about it. This hasty accusation only leads to further conflict which involved our friends on both ends. I was also wrong on my part to have complained to all my friends about this issue without first seeking ST for a cordial talk to clear the misunderstanding. By complaining to my friends, I was also spreading rumours, and this made me equally uncivilized. If I was more mature back then, I would have also not been bothered by her demeaning comments and profanities and my friends and I would not have retaliated. This whole situation was blown out of proportion simply because of a lack in communication.
