Sincere apology?
"Once the sale is made, shut up.” That's a fundamental rule of sales that is taught to virtually every aspiring sales person.
A similar rule should be taught to public officials in sexual misconduct cases: “Once the apology is made, shut up.”
Today’s New York Times contains two stories about politicians who can’t seem to leave well enough alone and who apparently want to mess with apologies for sexual misdeeds made months or years ago.
One is Japan’s new prime minister who, the newspaper says, “has signaled that he might seek to revise Japan’s apologies for its . . . using Koreans and other women as sex slaves.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/opinion/another-attempt-to-deny-japans-history.html
The other is Pennsylvania Governor Thomas Corbett who has filed suit to overturn all the sanctions imposed on Penn State by the NCAA.
Perhaps the most painful sentence that victims hear, tragically often, is “Can’t you just put this all behind you?” We sometimes answer “I wish I could. I wish it were that easy.” But it’s very hard. And it becomes even harder when authority figures meddle, refuse to let apologies stand and rub even more salt into already deep and often still fresh wounds.
Is it really that hard for officials to understand that if you “revise” an apology, it seem clear that you were not sincere in the first place? And it appears that you are making excuses and trying to minimize wrongdoing? (Especially in the Penn State case, it feels like the Gov. Corbett is almost defending the proven crimes by Sandusky and the likely soon-to-be-proven crimes of other top university staff.)
For the sake of victims everywhere, let’s hope that public pressure will force these two officials to reconsider.
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
Showing 1 comment