Why Apologize

Why Apologize

We live in such a gotcha society.  It seems like some people have nothing better to do than parse every word spoken or written, looking to be victimized or to sniff out racism and political incorrectness.

It is pretty easy to shame someone today.  Simply go on twitter and pick out the responses that suit your agenda, then like them and or retweet them until you get the attention you desire.

Typically, when caught with a faux pas, even when it is the result of selected interpretation, the accused effusively apologizes. 

I say stop it!

If you are innocent from the intent that is heaped on you, an apology is more like an admission of guilt and it will stick with you.  I say fight back.

What is it that caught my attention on this subject?  Last week, Ron Darling was on TV as the color man for the Yankee/ Oakland wild card baseball game.  Ron Darling is an ex-pitcher for the Mets.  He was a damn good pitcher and is pretty good on TV.

During the game, Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankee pitcher who is from Japan, found himself with men on base and a 3-0 count on the batter.  Ron Darling then said, “A little chink in the armor for Tanaka here. It’s the first inning where he’s lost a little of his control.”

The comment did not stir any emotion in me.  First of all, “chink in the armor” is a common phrase.  I’ve used it, and I hear it all the time.  It did cause a stir on Twitter.  Tweeters were aghast that Darling would you’re the word “Chink” when Tanaka was pitching.

Darling apologized profusely and said he meant no disrespect to Tanaka.

“Chink” is a derogatory term to a person from China.  Tanaka is Japanese, so it seems to me the twitter storm was in itself racist, equating anyone from Asia with one country…isn’t that what gets people bent out of shape with the use of Oriental instead of Asian?

Instead of apologizing, I would have preferred Darling to address the tweeters and say,

“This accusation of racism is stupid, I used an acceptable term in a situation where it was appropriate, any interpretation of racism is on the interpreter, not on me.  END OF STORY!”

I was recently attacked on Facebook.  I said in a post about the upcoming Yankee playoff series,

“If there is a God in Heaven, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care who wins, but I am rooting for the Yankees!”

I immediately had a comment,

“What do you mean “IF?”

I really did not think my post deserved a discussion of my belief or non-belief in the existence of God and I replied as such, perhaps stronger than needed and I told the commenter to “Lighten up.”

He chose not to lighten up and after several ridiculous back and forth comments, I learned how to block a person from any of my Facebook posts or comments.

The world is just getting crazier and crazier.

Oh, I forgot, Ron Darling’s mother is of Hawaiian/Chinese descent, I’m pretty sure he is not racist.