Is it slander if someone in your small town is going around telling people bad stuff about you?

Quizzard is correct that truth is an absolute defense to slander. Only one thing I would add - certain forms of slander are considered harmful per se. In other words, you don't have to prove damages in court. This includes slander which harms your business, accuses you of committing a violent crime, or implies that you are sexually deviant.

It's simple. To prove slander, or defamation of character, a plaintiff must establish four elements:

1) The defendant published in any way a statement of fact to at least one person other than the plaintiff.

2) The published statement is false.

3) The statement is understood to refer to the plaintiff.

4) The statement results in serious harm to the plaintiff's reputation.

Opinions won't qualify as a defense if the court considers the context of the statement as being understood by an average listener to be a verifiable fact, e.g., "an assertion of fact dressed up as an opinion" such as "I think Joe is a thief and a liar." And being kicked out of a gas station certainly sounds like the result of a substantial loss of reputation.

It is only slander if the 'bad stuff is a lie, they know it is a lie, and it harms you. Simply stating the truth or giving a personal opinion is not slanderous. It is very hard to prove slander, and will not improve your reputation.

No.

Gossip is nasty but is not slander. People are allowed to express their negative opinions of you as long as they are not telling a lie about you that they KNOW is a lie for the malicious purpose of ruining your reputation.

Is it the truth? Is it just placing their opinion about your morals and ethics? How much has it cost you in actual damages? Have you lost employment becasue of the town having nothing better than to gossip about YOU? The owners of establishments have the right, barring discrimination issues, to kick anyone out they please.

Just get a life and stand about the gossip.

It could be but it's up to you to prove they did it and more importantly you have suffered financially because of it. You must be able to prove dollars and cents lost and not just hurt feelings.

Yes it is.