A conversation with my cousin about that comedian's old tweets changed my view

We were at a family barbecue in Phoenix last summer, just grabbing drinks from the cooler. He said, 'I don't get why people are still mad, he said sorry like five years ago.' I told him the apology felt rushed and the guy just wanted his tour to sell. My cousin shrugged and said, 'People change, man. Holding onto old stuff forever is pointless.' It made me really think about where the line is between giving someone a real second chance and just letting them off the hook. How do you decide when an apology is enough to move on?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_jenkins668h ago

That cousin has a point about people changing. But an apology needs to match the harm. Saying sorry once to save your career is different from showing you actually learned. The real test is what they do after. Do they keep making the same kind of jokes? Or do they change their actions for good? Moving on needs proof, not just words.

finley_shah645h ago

But is this really a big deal years later? People dig up old tweets from a decade ago like it's a full time job. How much time do we waste being mad at jokes that weren't even funny?

pat_murray532h ago

Totally agree with your cousin's point about people changing. Had a similar talk with my brother about an old friend who said some really bad stuff online years back. The apology felt weak, like he was just reading a script his manager wrote. But then he actually started volunteering with a group related to the whole thing. That showed he meant it. Words are cheap, but doing something different costs you. That's how you know it's real.