*COW Alert

So.  We've had politicians, movie stars, and assorted famous-for-being-famous people doing outrageous things. And then apologizing.  The strategy seems to be (1) do the hurtful thing, (2) apologize to remove the guilt and blame, (3) while people never forget the hurtful thing.  It's brilliant.  And now meaningless apology has trickled down to college students:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/15/yale-fraternitys-hate-spe_n_763878.html

People seem to believe they can do anything they want to and then apologize for it and all will be well.

It's everywhere.  It's disgusting and I'm sick of it.  Sick of it, I tell you.

And don't get me started on meek little wives standing by their apologizing husbands' sides.  Sheesh.




*Cranky Old Woman

Comments

Jean Burke said…
How about those students being required to work at a domestic abuse shelter for women and children or perhaps tutoring women to get their GED. 'I'm sorry' just isn't enough. They need to learn to be part of the solution and not the problem. How proud their mothers must be.....truly, amazingly sad.
LizA. said…
sheesh! i'm with you. and i agree with what jean said, make them do some community work.
Mrs. Goodneedle said…
Horrible and disgusting, every bit of it is shameful. I just recently had a discussion about so-called apologies (and the language contained therein) with my Pastor. He used the example of how "I'm sorry that your feelings got hurt by my words/actions" wasn't an apology and how epidemic this sort of thinking is right now. It's not wrong unless one gets caught. It's shameful, I tell you.
Gari in AL said…
I agree with you completely.
Lori said…
A lapse in judgment and poor taste? If this is all the DKE pres can say about it he's as sick as the boys are!
Quiltdivajulie said…
COW? I don't think so.

This kind of behavior is WRONG!
Unknown said…
Well, you can just add me to the "cranky" old lady list as well. Whatever happened to thinking about what you do BEFORE you do it? Shouldn't we consider fallout, collateral damages, or serious consequences of our actions PRIOR to doing our "crap". These folks are always apologizing for acts I believe that when they committed them; they enjoyed what they were doing. They seem to be apologizing for? getting caught? I wonder if my children will continue to be thoughtful people even when I'm long gone. I pray they will be responsible and make/accept ownership for things they do and/or say. Hopefully they will remember to THINK/LOOK before they LEAP!!

YIKES!
Pam
Diana said…
I don't understand what has happened to our level of civility lately. It makes me worry about our future.

Surely there must be a code of conduct for these students. Something other than a simple and meaningless apology seems in order here.
Anonymous said…
You're not cranky - their actions absolutely justify outrage. When I was in college, a girl from my dorm was raped by a group of frat boys. Don't tell me the behavior of the young men from Yale doesn't lead to serious crimes against women. It isn't a prank. It isn't meant to embarrass the pledges. It's meant to send a message to the women on campus, and it's time that message was smacked right back. There should be serious consequences from the college against the fraternity. An apology is not enough. Yank their charter. Require community service. Something that they can't just throw money at and walk away.

By the way, I saw a great quote today: "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people. ~Cheris Kramarae and Paula Treichler"
Another part of the celebs' apology is that it is followed, almost always, by the offender going in for "treatment." For addiction to bad behavior?

WV: frong - just how very, very wrong a person was. Ot a frog stuck on the prong of a large fork.
Gretchen said…
I completely agree with you. And I also agree with several other comments that said the frat should have to do community service. How about some work for a battered woman's and children's shelter. Add to that some mandatory sensitivity training. These kinds of antics have been going on far too long to just be excused with a lame attempt at an apology.
Salem Stitcher said…
I agree with Jean. Make them work at a domestic abuse shelter. Make them actually interact with people that face fear everyday. Unbelieveable and beyond shameful.
suz said…
I don't think you need to be a COW about this. I too am fed up with this kind of behavior. If my son had been part of this, I'd have dragged his butt off campus, made him get a job and then pay for his own tuition! Sadly, people see the media doing it all the time and no one really does a thing - they just get lots of press time...and the press is just as bad! Apparently bad behavior is now becoming the norm, along with corporations not being responsible their employees, their customers, their country...okay, now I'm a COW.