Sunday, October 31, 2010

The nonapology apology is dead--long live the nonapology nonapology!


The Velvet Blog has been following the nonapology apology trend--that is, wishy-washy attempts at sounding like you're apologizing when you really aren't--in public discourse for a while now. But I'm here to declare that those days are over. Now, being a totally unapologetic asshat is all the rage.

Let's start with a master: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The unholy combination of Rupert Murdoch, Hugh Hefner, and an unneutered feral tomcat made headlines recently (well, in the only two Italian news outlets he doesn't own, apparently) after it came to light that he had sprung from police custody a 17-year-old Moroccan runaway who previously had spent time at his villa.

From the AP report:
"I've got nothing to clarify," Mr. Berlusconi said Friday. "I'm a playful person, full of life. I love life, I love women. ... Nobody can make me, at my age, change my lifestyle, of which I am absolutely proud."

Forget even a weasely, Clintonian "It depends on what your definition of 'is' is" for this guy. (I hope, by the way, that there's no truth to the rumor he'll be starring in a Jersey Shore: The Geriatric Years spin-off soon.)

A Rand Paul volunteer shows how the new nonapology nonapology is done on these shores--but, I have to say, with a lot less verve and a lot more self-pity. Last week, Tim Profitt stomped the head of a MoveOn activist outside a Paul appearance. After being identified, Profitt had this to say:
I don't think it's that big of a deal. I would like for her to apologize to me, to be honest with you.

That would have been a perfect nonapology nonapology if only he had stopped there.

But he didn't:
I put my foot on her, and I did push her down at the very end, and I told her to stay down. I actually put my foot on her to--I couldn't bend over because I have issues with my back.

Oooo, and there we just have serious overreach. Being a violent, unrepentant douchebag is one thing, but asking for sympathy, too? Serious miscalculation.

So, there you have it--two recent, inarguable examples showing that nonapology apologies are out and nonapology nonapologies are in. All we need is one more, and this will be picked up as a New York Times trend piece in the Sunday Styles section.

4 comments:

Jim Donahue said...

Anonymous comments will be deleted. If you don't stand behind a comment with either a) your name or b) a link to your Web site or some other way to reach you, you obviously don't take much pride in what you write. In other words, you are a coward.

Also, it's curious how someone in Van Nuys, Calif., is spending his Sunday morning doing Google searches on "Rand Paul" and leaving comments on blogs that five people read.

Have you considered stamp collecting?

Grammarian@mindspring.com said...

That was practically a nonapology nonapology itself.

Dave said...

I wouldn't have thought that Rand Paul is allowed in Van Nuys.

As to your third instance, it was in thi week's NYT Magazine article about the new owner of the the Nets - he was coy but unapologetic about stiffing his creditors in one of his billion dollar deals. Can't tell you the details as my eyes always move very quickly when confronted with finance stuff.

Knatolee said...

I hadn't heard about the stomping! He'd be arrested for assault in this country. Scumbag. And very nice, all those men attacking a WOMAN. Pigs.