Thursday, August 13, 2009

The wrong sorry

The English language is a bitch. So many words can mean so many things. But that doesn't mean we listeners are stupid. "Sorry I offended you" is the same "sorry" as "sorry for your loss", not the same one as "sorry I acted abominably". There is no acknowlegment of responsibility in "sorry I offended you".

So, no, Kyle, Jackie O and 2DAYFM, I do not accept your apology.

In fact, I wasn't offended, I was horrified and disgusted. This is about your behaviour, not my reaction.

6 comments:

  1. Best: "I'm sorry that i was an offensive arse." - Acknowledges responsibility for his own actions/behaviour.

    Worst: "I'm sorry that you were offended." - Implies that you're wrong for being offended.

    Debatable: "I'm sorry i offended you." - IMO this one could go either way. It's too ambiguous to know if he's taking responsibility for his behaviour or if he's just sorry that he was called out on it.

    Either way, his apology doesn't begin to cover it. There are times when words just don't cut it. He mucked it up too badly for a simple "sorry" to suffice, even if he DID implicitly state that he was owning up to what he did.

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  2. @Lindsay: I take your point, although offense just has so little to do with it, that I don't really care if he is sorry he offended me.

    And you are very right, there probably isn't a sorry that on its own would be enough.

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  3. Very good point!

    I agree with Lindsay though. I'm glad I read her comment before I posted my own. I was about to say the same thing.

    Like her, I think "I'm sorry I offended you" is much better than "I'm sorry you were offended."

    The right thing to say is probably. "I'm sorry. I did something horrible. I regret what I did, etc."

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  4. @Dina: Unless he and the rest of 2DAYFM admit culpability and change their policies, anything else is pissing in the wind.

    Did you see the stuff Tigtog wrote at Hoyden about the money they "raised" for a family and then didn't deliver? These people (all of 2DAYFM involved in their show) are serial offenders.

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