Why do people spread rumors about you etc and complain when you are angry about it and pretend they dont know anything about it?

Recheck your facts to make sure you got the rigt person. Bring back-up witnesses if you can. Don't make false accusations without proof to back them up. And excuse me, but make sure YOU aren't being a little paranoid. If you are sure, by all means , confront them . Rumormongers are a curse on society. Some people will most definitely lie when cornered.

Another PerspectiveRecognize that those who participate in character assassination do so out of a basic flaw in their own personality.

What is that person attempting to accomplish by spreading those rumors? Does he/she consider you to be a threat of any kind?

Here's an important tip in life... laugh.

Don't get angry when you find that someone has been telling lies about you; that just gives them a feeling of power. If you laugh at them, and ridicule them for their childish behavior, it not only diminishes the effect of their rumors, it also turns the whole thing around on them.

Find a way to ridicule what they have said, and turn it around to be THEIR problem, but most important, just be good-natured about it and be upbeat.

Those types of people will always be around, and if you let them get to you, they'll just keep poking at you. But if you just let it roll off, and let everyone know that the accusations are ludicrous, it will backfire on them.

Whatever you do, don't make accusations or start rumors about them.

When rumours may affect you professionally, or harm personal relationships, they MUST be addressed. Truly VISCIOUS rumors can ruin lives, for example, if someone said you were a thief , or a liar, or a child molester, you cannot just "Laugh off " these types of things .

DiscussionUnfortunately, if we respond harshly to rumors we are often put into that class of people best represented by "The lady doth protest too much, methinks".

A biting wit, a laugh and some ridicule work best to defuse false rumors. If we become defensive and abusive, people will often believe that we are simply denying what really happened.

While I agree that we must address the more vicious rumors, anything else must be handled with care to avoid putting ourselves in the same category as the person who started the rumor.

Libelous statements should be dealt with by taking the person to court. But Shakespeare was right; don't protest too much. Either deal with it or laugh at it.