We have all heard them before: half-assed public apologies. Politicians, actors, athletes, and so on. They may have said something racist, sexist, homophobic, or whatever else. Then they come out with some publicist-written dribble, deliver it in an incredibly disingenuous manner, and expect the public to swallow it.
What really gets me is the way these “apologies” are all-too-often worded. They are usually worded in some version of, “I’m sorry IF I offended anyone. Newsflash: the fact that you have to make a public apology means that you DID offend a lot of people, so leave the “if” crap out of it. The use of that one, simple word leads me to believe that first, they are not really sorry for was said, nor has their opinion on the matter really changed. Second, what they are actually sorry about is that they were caught in the act and are now trying to save face. The apology is a facade, a very thin veil that anyone paying attention can see through easily.
I know that sometimes situations get heated and things may be said absent-mindedly. In my opinion however, it is in these moments where you can see someone’s true colours. Unfortunately, some people’s true colours are rather dark.
What really gets me is the way these “apologies” are all-too-often worded. They are usually worded in some version of, “I’m sorry IF I offended anyone. Newsflash: the fact that you have to make a public apology means that you DID offend a lot of people, so leave the “if” crap out of it. The use of that one, simple word leads me to believe that first, they are not really sorry for was said, nor has their opinion on the matter really changed. Second, what they are actually sorry about is that they were caught in the act and are now trying to save face. The apology is a facade, a very thin veil that anyone paying attention can see through easily.
I know that sometimes situations get heated and things may be said absent-mindedly. In my opinion however, it is in these moments where you can see someone’s true colours. Unfortunately, some people’s true colours are rather dark.
I agree wholeheartedly. The "if" word is such a cop out. "I don't want to apologize, but since I have to, I'll couch it as though I might not have offended the very people I'm supposed to be apologizing to." I'm tired of it, I don't believe them any more, and if the language you use offends me, I'll speak with my wallet and my eyes by not ever buying into your product, watching you on TV, whatever...and I won't miss out on a dang thing!
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Jay
Here Here!!!
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