Apologies

The Fox network has decided to pull the O.J. Simpson/Judith Regan fiasco.

Here is what Rupert Murdoch said:

“I and senior management agree with the American public in that this was an ill-considered project”. “We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson”.

Any time there is a public statement from one of these guys, it is carefully worded. When he says “We are sorry for any pain…”, do you think that for one minute he did not realize that this would upset the families? This is a fake apology (lie) that is a result of public opinion. If there wasn’t a groundswell of criticism of the move, the show would air. The public got it right.

On the other hand, there is Michael Richards going off on a racist rant at a heckler in a club. Here is a link to the outburst video.

This is a little different; it’s similar to the recent Mel Gibson event in that it was off the cuff.

I am hearing that Mr. Richards will issue an apology on the Letterman show tonight. I have no doubt that the quick response is on advice from his publicity people.

When an apology is part of a strategic plan it is, in my mind, not genuine. Richards may feel genuinely sorry for what he said and the public may accept it. I think, in his case, it is kind of like when someone you have known for a while says some racist remark and you realize that you have never seen that side of them before. It’s in the back of your mind always.

So, Murdoch is apologizing for something pre-meditated that went wrong, and Richards is apologizing for something he probably didn’t mean to say but, deep down may believe. Both apologies are tainted.