"apology" -- stretched again

[Jonathan Lighter]

Guest pundit Keli Goff said on CNN Sunday that "absolutely, his apology was
ridiculous. I'm so sick and tired of these, 'I'm sorry your feelings got
hurt' apologies, which we keep hearing over and over again when someone says
something blatantly offensive or stupid."
http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1010/10/rs.01.html

I have been the personal recipient of more than one such "apology" in real
life, each delivered in a tone of deepest sincerity.  First noticed: early
1990s. Which means that, back then, a person could live for decades without
encountering one.  But now . . .

I guess it's just another "meme."

JL
On Wed, Oct 13, 2010 at 2:12 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      "apology"  -- stretched again
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "apology" = "I concede I said it poorly (but I still mean it)".
>
> I'm sure previously observed, but ... from the NYTimes, today:
>
> "Paladino Apologizes for Remarks About Gays" [headline].
>
> "In his letter, Mr. Paladino did not back down from the content of
> his remarks on homosexuality, though he acknowledged that he 'should
> have chosen better words'."
>
> The paper Times did not publish the text of Paladino's 400-word
> statement, so I cannot tell if he, as well as the Times, used
> "apology" to characterize what he said.
>
> Joel
>
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