The Problem Of Apology

I'd love to see some scientific studies on why people find it so hard to say, "My bad." Here we have a GOP activist doing what certain sector of GOP activist do:

Commenting on a report posted to Facebook about a gorilla escape at a zoo in Columbia, S.C., Friday, longtime GOP activist Rusty DePass wrote, "I'm sure it's just one of Michelle's ancestors - probably harmless."

Busted by South Carolina political blogger Will Folks on his FITNEWS blog, DePass told WIS-TV in Columbia, "I am as sorry as I can be if I offended anyone. The comment was clearly in jest."

Then he added, "The comment was hers, not mine," claiming Michelle Obama made a recent remark about humans descending from apes. The Daily News could find no such comment.

Now, I normally wouldn't highlight this--it seems pretty clear that there is, at least, a section of the GOP that can't unstrap itself from the wit and wisdom of white supremacy. You can't build court racists and then expect them to stop talking about Obama waffles and watermelon because it's inconvenient. It's who they are.

But it's really the apology that boggles me. The "if I offended anyone" is par for the course for the passive-agressive non-apology. But DePass goes further than that--he actually blames Michelle Obama, falsely apparently, for the whole thing!

This is probably the worst non-apology I've ever seen--but it's of a piece with this particular thing about us, this aversion to admitting error, even when caught red-handed. Perhaps I'm extrapolating too much. Politics is a particular business that attracts a particular kind of person. Maybe if you're in pitched battle with the other side, and in the business of making sure you're side wins, this sort of fake humility becomes your stock and trade.

Also, as a side-note, it's always amazing to see dude's who look like DePass cracking jokes about some woman's appearance. The last to be talking, are the first to flap the lip.