Thursday, February 03, 2022

Resist The Temptation


Stop apologizing. For the love of God, stop apologizing.

This post is not directed at Republicans. They have learned over the past several years that refusal to apologize can get one a) elected to the presidency; b) great financial riches while President; c) ability to remain free from indictment while some people get indicted for possession of marijuana and occasionally less; b) considered the individual most likely to become the 47th President of the United States of America.

Democrats and the left, having failed to make the connection, have learned none of that. And so it was that Whoopi Goldberg, who on Monday contended that the Holocaust was not about race, made amends on Tuesday in the best way possible when

“So yesterday on our show, I misspoke,” said a contrite-sounding Goldberg, 66, adding that she wanted viewers to “hear it from me directly.”

“I said that the Holocaust wasn’t about race, and it was instead about man’s inhumanity to man — but it is indeed about race, because Hitler and the Nazis considered Jews to be an inferior race,” she finally acknowledged.

“Words matter, and mine are no exception,” said Goldberg, who had confusingly repeated many of her initial claims during a late-night TV chat hours after first apologizing Monday.

“I regret my comments, and I stand corrected. I also stand with the Jewish people,” she told her viewers Tuesday.

That was her mistake. "Words matter, and mine are no exception," coupled with "I regret my comments, and I stand corrected" did her in. Whoopie G. was not suspended despite having apologized; she was suspended in part because she did apologize.

She expressed regret not only for the impact of her words, which often takes the place of apology. Instead, she stated "words matter" and "I stand corrected," thus acknowledging error. Then The View gave several minutes to Anti-Defamation League National Director and CEO Jonathan Greenblatt to remind us of the horror of the Holocaust and lay out the perspective of the Jewish community.

Deeply appreciate @WhoopiGoldberg inviting me on to @TheView today to have an important discussion on the importance of educating about the Holocaust. Whoopi has been a long-time ally of the Jewish community and @ADL and her apology is very much welcome. twitter.com/ADL/status/148…

Whoopi's was a wide-ranging statement of regret followed by an opportunity, which Greenblatt made the most of, for a representative of the opposing viewpoint to educate the audience.

In today's cancel culture, that sort of thing is a mistake, one Democrats are wont to make.  Once someone concedes error- the principled response- few people have reason to rally to her cause because she herself has admitted being in the wrong.  And opponents see it only as a sign of weakness.

Moreover, as this tweeter noted, "Whoopi apologized. Said she was wrong. Said she will change her thought and still was suspended. What is the point in apologizing and realizing you are wrong? Horrible precedent...."

It does no good for the individuals who made the mistake, nor for their supporters.   They appear weak, pandering to people who are  encouraged to continue their purge of opinions which are hurtful to their sensitive souls. It has gone too far- America knows it, and voters know it.



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