Posted: Mar 25, 2012 4:28 pm
I was just about to post this David Mitchell blog, and then I came across this thread where it fits perfectly.
People in public life really need to grow up and start having the balls to stand by what they said rather than automatically apologizing because someone somewhere claimed offence (often on behalf of someone else). We don't want to end up in a situation where the only people who will say things and stick by them are extremists and idiots, and everyone else will bow down to the faux-offence brigade. I can understand a company doing it just to be on the safe side, but politicians, and even worse artists of one kind or another, really shouldn't be apologizing for something unless they genuinely accept the criticism. And obvious opportunist attempts should be treated with the contempt they deserve.
I'm sorry but this constant demand for public apologies really offends me
Newt Gingrich's faux outrage at a joke made by Robert De Niro is the latest evidence of a thriving apology extortion racket in public life
People in public life really need to grow up and start having the balls to stand by what they said rather than automatically apologizing because someone somewhere claimed offence (often on behalf of someone else). We don't want to end up in a situation where the only people who will say things and stick by them are extremists and idiots, and everyone else will bow down to the faux-offence brigade. I can understand a company doing it just to be on the safe side, but politicians, and even worse artists of one kind or another, really shouldn't be apologizing for something unless they genuinely accept the criticism. And obvious opportunist attempts should be treated with the contempt they deserve.