The art of fauxpologies

As the pressure for celebrities to apologize for past actions increases, genuine apologies become less and less common

BY GREGOIRE WINSTON, CO-ONLINE EDITOR

Everyone lies. In fact, people lie so often that that society has become accustomed to deceitful behavior. Public figures and influencers commonly issue public apologies; however their authenticity is often questioned. Claiming to feel regret is the easiest way to please their audience.

On July 8 of this year, Tik Tok star Addison Rae Easterling issued a public apology through Twitter for reposting an “All Lives Matter” video four years prior. In her apology, Easterling acknowledged the existence of systemic racism and wrote that “all lives cannot matter until Black lives do.”

While her apology seemed convincing to some, according to Insider, during her week-long break from social media, she was spotted hanging out with the Kardashian family on multiple occasions. Rather than apologizing, she chose to socialize with highstatus celebrities instead. This eight day gap was the basis of the public’s anger. HITC news reported that comments from her followers criticized the celebrity for not acting promptly once the issue resurfaced.

Without a doubt, celebrities often deceive their followers for approval and a chance at redemption. However, many fail to realize the immense public pressure that exists for celebrities to behave as role-models. Behind their public facade, they are flawed and human. They may not always believe in what they apologize for, but instead do it out of fear of losing followers and fame.

“I truly think people should be more lenient about celebrities who lie because most of the time they are pressured into expressing opinions they do not really support,” junior Camilo Gil said.

More recently, on July 24, 2020, Representative Ted Yoho experienced a tense exchange with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the steps of the Capitol. Following the heated discussion, Ocasio-Cortez revealed Yoho reportedly used derogatory terms, claiming that she was “disgusting” and “way out of line,” for concerning herself with issues such as crime and police reform. Five days later, Yoho presented himself on the floor of the House of Representatives to apologize for the “abrupt manner of the conversation” he had with Ocasio-Cortez. An apology that at first appeared to be genuine was ultimately deemed useless when he concluded by stating

“I cannot apologize for my passion or for loving my god, my family and my country.” Yoho’s apparent change of heart emphasized not only his flawed argument but his evident lack of care for the topic at hand.

The next day, Cortez delivered a final response stating that Yoho was only there to “make excuses for his behavior.” On Twitter, Cortez proclaimed Yoho’s statement to be “verbal assault, not an apology.” Instances like these go to show that not all people take their apologies to heart, but instead apologize because it is what is expected of them. Fauxpologies, or fake apologies, are becoming so typical that people are no longer shocked at these declarations. Since these untruthful comments are now considered the norm, people have a natural inclination to doubt public apologies.

“Regardless of who is lying, it is pretty sad that they feel the need to fake an apology just to keep up with their fans and not fall under the map,” junior Joshua Jackson said.

A more well-known fauxpology scandal was that of Ellen DeGeneres, who was recently in the midst of multiple workplace accusations, including sexual harassment, racism and sexism. As reported by NPR, the allegations led to the firing of three producers, as well as a significant blow to DeGeneres’ own reputation.

In order to repair the damage, the TV star opened her 18th Season acknowledging her mistakes, and taking“responsibility for what happens at [her] show.” According to psychologist and body language expert Bruce Durham in The Mirror, the apology could not be farther from genuine. DeGeneres’ multiple jokes and humor were understood by Durham as a way to distract the audience in an attempt to “bring [them] back on board.” Durham stated that her use of comical diction served as a means of diverting attention away from the allegations.

While public apologies might not be all conspicuously false and ill-intentioned, in a world where image comes over authenticity, it is no surprise that celebrities actively apologize for matters they have little concern for. These many attempts to regain public approval might seem sincere, but their ambiguous appearance only worsens public trust and genuine feelings. At the end of the day, the sincere apology is dead.