Non-apology apology

A non-apology apology is a statement in the apparent form of an apology that is nothing of the sort, a common gambit in politics and public relations. For example, saying "I'm sorry if you were offended by my remarks," does not admit that there was anything wrong with the remarks, while suggesting that the person taking offense was thin-skinned or irrational. Non-apology apologists are frequently trying to avoid litigation that might result from an admission of guilt or responsibility. Many states have laws that prevent a plaintiff from using an apology as evidence of liability. For example, medical doctors may apologize to a patient for a bad outcome knowing the apology cannot be used against them at trial as evidence of negligence. Frequently, these statutes are misunderstood to mean that one is relieved of liability because they have apologized. For example, it has been asserted that the California State Legislature passed a bill in July 2000 relieving people of liability if they express sympathy to someone who was injured in an accident in which they themselves were involved, in the event that such an apology be misconstrued in court as an admission of guilt.^[1] Misunderstandings of this law are common.

"The Perfect Non-apology Apology"

Humorist Bruce McCall, in a 2001 New York Times piece titled "The Perfect Non-apology Apology," defined the term as referring to "sufficiently artful double talk" to enable you to "get what you want by seeming to express regret while actually accepting no blame," and suggested some tongue-in-cheek apologies, such as:

Nobody is sorrier than me that the police officer had to spend his valuable time writing out a parking ticket on my car. Though from my personal standpoint I know for a certainty that the meter had not yet expired, please accept my expression of deep regret at this unfortunate incident.

George Allen

U.S. senator George Allen, called Shekar Ramanuja Sidarth, a young staffer from an opponent's campaign, "Macaca". Senator Allen then apologized to the staffer, not for the slur, but for offending the man. According to Ramanuja, the apology was something like "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that I offended you," as opposed to "I'm sorry. I said something offensive."^[2]

Pope Benedict XVI

In September 2006, Pope Benedict XVI, after quoting an ancient text critical of Islam, made a similar non-apology. Rather than retracting his remarks, the Pope expressed regret for the reaction to his comments, and a statement from the Vatican indicated that he "sincerely regrets that certain passages of his address could have sounded offensive to the sensitivities of the Muslim faithful and should have been interpreted in a manner that in no way corresponds to his intentions".^[3][4]

Japan

Japan has issued statements of "regret" for its actions during World War II, but those statements are often not considered an apology, and have been criticized by many. [2] [3]

See also

• Non-denial denial
• Expression of regret

References