I SAID SORRY PLEASE MOVE is the most Whole Foodsy thing Eve ever said. I’ve reevaluated in the past few years what “sorry” means and it turns out very little! I’m not sure an apology means much of anything either, apart from absolving the speaker. Still it manifests as a nervous tick, sorries as cheap as sneezes and sniffles that I have very little power to hold in. A thing I’d like to do is not say anything. |
Ah, the best sorry, said preemptively AS you're elbowing someone else in the face. It's like going to confession and getting absolved for the bank robbery you're going to commit – that'll be 200 Hail Marys.
Also, panel 5 Eve is adorbs before 'uh what do I say?' kicks in.
Growing up, my mom didn't accept apologies ever. Even as a little kid, she would respond to apologies by saying that "sorry doesn't matter" and that I needed to SHOW – repeatedly, consistently – that I was sorry. I'm glad I was raised this way but nowadays I feel like both are important . An apology without actually taking the steps to change is meaningless, but having met some people who almost never say sorry or admit to any kind of fault, I do see some value in being able to put your pride aside and say hey you know what, I was wrong. I don't think it is enough, but it can be a start. However that all goes out the window if within the apology there are justifications for the behavior being apologized for. Those apologies really are only to assuage guilt (or worse, for PR purposes) and are worth less than nothing.
Of course, that all has to do with apologies connected to actual wrongdoing. Reflexive apologies like what Eve is doing are a whole different thing.
Some times, saying sorry is all you can do to acknowledge the fact that there's simply not much else you can do to make up for what you did, but at least you are aware of the fact. Saying nothing may just be perceived as a complete lack of awareness, remorse or intention to do better.
As a Canadian, "sorry!" isn't necessarily an apology, but more of an acknowledgement of another's space or experience.