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When everybody needs to apologize, somebody has to go first
By Lauren | February 2, 2010
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of appearing on Rev. Doug Bursch’s “Live From Seattle” KGNW radio program. Rev. Bursch asked me to come on the show to address a sorry situation in the Washington State Legislature. Seems that one bad-tempered legislator chewed out the staff of her party’s caucus. Several of her colleagues publicly demanded that she apologize, the legislator in question got even nastier and more defensive, and the whole situation spiralled down into an ugly spectacle of politicians behaving badly.
That could never happen in Washington, D.C., right? Of course not …
Politicians tend to have trouble apologizing. Maybe it’s because they know that anything they say can and will be held against them in future campaigns. Or maybe they think that apologizing for their mistakes makes them look weak. Trouble is, once the voters know about their errors, delaying apologies only makes them look weak and stubborn to boot.
We’ve all been in situations where several people acted out and apologies are due all around. Unless someone is willing to go first, though, the apologies get delayed and the situation festers. In the Washington State situation, it would be a good idea for the legislator who started the whole mess by picking on defenseless staffers to behave like an adult by apologizing first. Then, everyone who thought they’d gain political mileage by piling on should follow suit. It would be a shame if the head of the caucus in question had to pull everyone into a room, sit them in a circle, and force them all to apologize at once on a count of three. The voters of Washington State deserve better.
Topics: Apologies, Social Ethics, ethics |
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:59 am
Thanks for being on the show! Great info. . .by the way feel free to just call me Doug or Pastor Doug. Reverend just doesn’t seem to work. Peace!