When Is An Apology Due?

As you probably know by now, Paula Deen has lost her job, her career is tumbling out of control, and she has spent the last several days apologizing to the world for using the dreaded "N" word thirty years ago.

Paula Deen should NOT have apologized to ANYONE. Here's why...

The only time an apology is due is when you say or do something that harms one or more people. You do NOT owe an apology for simply "offending" someone. Ms. Deen's inappropriate language did not harm even one of the people who have demanded an apology. Not a one. Nor did it harm the Food Network. In fact, none of them had even known about her use of the "N" word until she brought it up 30 years later.

No one should ever apologize for simply offending someone else. Liberals - usually the ones demanding people spend their lives groveling and apologizing for this or that - have an inherent need to have power over others. It is mostly liberals who pass laws that give government power over us (like zoning laws). And putting people on their knees, apologizing to others, empowers liberals. Nothing makes a liberal happier than to exercise power over another by forcing them into subservience. That is why they push welfare on the poor, and pass laws that violate our freedoms (have you ever encountered a Homeowner's Association that prohibits flying a flag, or having a block party? Then you have encountered little liberals trying to be big).

But here is a newsflash, folks - if, as liberals believe, we should apologize for offending someone else, then every single one of us would spend our entire lives groveling and apologizing, because every one of us is guilty of offending someone, somewhere, every minute of the day.

Are you a Christian? Your very existence offends Muslims. Are you American? You would not believe how many people THAT offends - even some other Americans, like Sean Penn or Danny Glover. And if you believe in a right to life, you offend pro-abortion folks (and vice versa). If you eat meat, you offend vegetarians. If you think collecting welfare is a career choice, you offend those who pay taxes.You cannot exist without offending someone.

And that is precisely why you should never apologize for merely being offensive. The only time to apologize is when your words or deeds cause harm, and even then you only owe an apology to THAT person. You do not owe an apology to the world. If you use the "N" word to describe someone, then you owe THAT person an apology, but you do NOT owe an apology to the world.

Paula Deen never caused me harm. She does not owe me an apology. Nor you. Nor the Food Network. Nor any of the people calling for her head.

John Wayne almost had it right in "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" when he said, "Never apologize, Corporal - it's a sign of weakness."

I would change that to, "Never apologize to anyone you have not harmed - it's a sign of weakness."

And I would particularly not apologize to anyone, ever, for being who I am. And neither should you.

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