If you’re not familiar with ghosting, it’s when someone ends a personal relationship by suddenly disappearing from your life. No call. No texts. You never hear from them again.

The term has become popular, almost trendy, in the past few months.

I’ve seen magazines, websites, even memes about ghosting. And most of the time they almost glorify it. Asking people to share their ghosting stories and turning those stories into funny “relatable” posts making ghosting seem like a normal part of relationships. Which is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.

Stop calling it “ghosting” and start calling this behavior what it is, being rude.

Why is it that if something gets a cool, new name it becomes more of an acceptable behavior? If someone can’t take the time to send a short text message saying “Hey I had a great time with you but I just don’t see this going anywhere. Wish you well,” then clearly that person shouldn’t be considering dating at all.

Ghosting is just another one of the “mind games” that people rant about.

I’ve even heard stories of how instead of breaking up with someone, their significant other just “ghosted” them and that’s how the relationship ended.

What?!

Now “ghosting” is enabling cowards to take the easy way out. News flash, there is no easy way out in a relationship. The fact that some people are using this term as a way to completely bypass a break-up is more than just rude, it’s despicable.

By doing so, you deny the victim of the “ghosting” the closure that is pretty necessary when it comes to the ending of a relationship.

Not communicating is rude. Ignoring calls or texts from someone that wants to hear from you is rude. Causing someone to sit by the phone and wonder what they did wrong after you just vanish on them is rude and none of this should be deemed as common in the dating world just because it’s called something else.

Maybe if we stopped calling it “ghosting” and started calling it “being a jerk” people would do it less.