Not Quite An Apology
Posted: Thu 3 October, 2013 Filed under: 1BEM, Cynicism, Literacy, People, Sweary, Thoughts, Words 2 Comments »One of the phrases that keeps on annoying me at the moment is the current ‘approved’ terminology for an apology
We’d like to apologise for [x]
Why does it annoy me? Because if you look at it, it’s not actually an apology. It’s a mealy-mouthed excuse. “We’d like to apologise for [x]” isn’t the same as “We are really sorry about [x]”
I know it’s probably only me that even notices this kind of thing, but regardless, it’s an annoyance.
If you’re sorry for something, say you’re sorry. Apologise. Don’t tell me that you’d like to apologise – because that’s not actually apologising. It might as well say “We’d like to apologise, but won’t, because well, fuck you”
Just say “Sorry”. Don’t wank around the bushes with it. Say you screwed up, apologise, move on.
“We are sorry if you were [insert x] by [y]” is worse, I feel.
x = upset/annoyed/inconvenienced etc etc
y = whatever they have omitted to do or done in error etc etc
I’ve changed my attitude of late – as long as the bastards pay me enough in compensation, I don’t care what they’ve done.
I’m going to have to get Mr BW to add ‘compensation’ to his spreadsheet as a new income stream.
Agreed, although it doesn’t annoy me quite as much – at least it’s starting with “We’re sorry” rather than “We want to say we are, but we aren’t really”
The other one that annoys is “If you’ve been affected by issues brought up in this programme”. Although at least it’s well-meaning, I suppose. But really, so many of them just make me respond “Affected? By that? Get a life.”