Can you keep a secret?

If a secret is told to me first hand by a friend, usually (usually) I can keep it. I've never told anyone about R's boyfriend cheating on her and her forgiving him, or M being on antidepressants. But if something's told to me second hand, even with a mandatory 'Don't tell anyone, but...', is it even a secret? Or is it gossip? If the person hasn't had the decency to tell it to me themselves, then I find it physically impossible to have the decency not to spill all to the next person I'm talking to (starting with 'Don't tell anyone, but...', of course). That's the way secrets work. Somehow someone finds out and tells someone else but they're not allowed to tell anyone else and the other person promises that they won't breathe a word, even though everyone involved knows from the beginning that the person being told has no intention of keeping it to themselves and the person doing the telling shouldn't be telling them in the first place. Lalala *look at me using my hands to make a rounded tummy while whispering 'abooooortion' glancing pointedly at E*. Coughcoughanorexiccough. I kinda wish I could keep a secret but I love gossip too much. Is that a character flaw? It's not like I tell everyone secrets, it's usually just one or two carefully selected close friends. The opportunity to dissect details of another person's life is too good to pass up. He hit her!? Is she staying with him? WHY is she staying with him? V's dad is a sex offender!? Are you tellin the police? Does V know!? He gave her GENITAL WARTS!?!?!? And she forgave him!? It all demands discussion and debate.

You have to be careful who you tell your secrets to if you want it kept secret. If you go around blabbing the deepest, darkest details of your life to a bunch of randoms who you have no reason to trust, then I think you deserve to have them discussed behind your back. People need something to talk about in the pub - why shouldn't it be you?