Stop the meaningless appologies

Recently the son of gospel singer Kirk Franklin recorded a conversation he has with his dad. Some years back the daughter of actor Alec Baldwin did the same. In both instances the father’s said some things they later apologized for. In truth these men and many others should not have apologized to the public if they meant what they said and said what they meant. People often say things in the heat of the moment and talk more freely in private than when they have an audience. Fathers and their children having disagreements is nothing new. The issue is the need to address the public and explain a situation that for some is quite normal.

It is unfortunate that the children decided to expose personal family business and there’s a reason they do in such situations. It’s obvious the offspring desire the adoring public of these celebrities to know that they are quite human. They desired to hurt their fathers by embarrassing them. This is why people should not idolize those who are famous. They entertain us but at the end of the day, they have more money than the average person but deal with life’s issues just like everyone else. There have been a number of entertainers in recent years who have been caught on tape cursing, making sexist comments and using racial slurs Thry always apologize after being exposed but is the apology sincere?

Do these individuals actually regret what they have said or are they simply trying to protect their brand? The public usually forgives but does not forget such situations except in the case of Donald Trump. Half of voting Americans chose him twice in spite of his sexist comments that were recorded. Trump never asked forgiveness nor ever admitted he was wrong and kept moving along. He at least stuck to his personal code and did not back down.

If an individual is overheard saying something that the public deems as inappropriate any apology should be sincere. Saying you are sorry just to save your own skin is meaningless. If you meant what you said and said what you meant when you spoke, you will probably do it again, There are more than likely not isolated incidents and have happened many times before. The difference is that during this one situation the encounter was caught on tape.

If the apology was not sincere, then it will mean very little and the bad behavior will most likely be repeated. There are no perfect people and most parents believe they have the right to address their children without being talked back to. In this day and age, some children simply do not feel the same way. It is also common for people to record things and put them online. In truth we all should be mindful of what we say and do because it could be put on display for the entire world. Celebrities today always appologize when they have been outed but what if their words had not been recorded.

No one knows how many rants Kirk Franklin, Alec Baldwin, other entertainers, or regular folk have gone on and it was done in private. Instead of appologizing and saying it will not happen again, just own up to a bad moment and move on. These occurrences are usually not random and more than likely will happen again because of human nature. If one says they are sorry only because they were caught, this means very little. This is why meaningless apologies are not necessary.