Posted by
The Chopping Block on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 12:00:00 AM
When I was a senior in high school way back in the 60s, I was the lead in the senior play. The leading lady in the play was Lena. Well, one night Lena and I stayed out too late after rehearsals and by the time I got her back to her parents it was way past her deadline. The next morning my dad woke me up and read me the riot act and told me to go apologize to her parents for keeping their daughter out too late. So I dragged myself slowly up to her door and upon being invited in, sat down and apologized for keeping Lena out too late. I don't remember what I said, but I do know what I did NOT say. I did not start out by saying "I want to apologize if you were upset...."
No one really apologizes any more. They only apologize "IF" you were offended. In other words, they throw it all back on you. If you took offense, then they are sorry you took offense. That is a pretty big "if". It absolves them of their responsibility and in reality is not an apology at all.
In addition, no one actually apologizes. The best they can do is to say they "want" to apologize.
Everyone does it, but the most famous has to be Jane Fonda who "wanted" to apologize to any Vietnam Vets that were offended by her actions. Well, Jane, if you wanted to, maybe you could have just said it...."I apologize to all the Vietnam Vets for my actions in Hanoi. They were insensitive and wrong. I hope you can forgive me". Maybe we would have and maybe we wouldn't have, but at least we would have given her credit for really apologizing.
All these boorish actors and actresses that are saying these unthinking and insensitive remarks about our soldiers or their families, when it comes time for them to publicly apologize (and they always seem to come to that point) then, maybe, just maybe, one of them will have the guts to actually say "I am sorry".