In case your cable was out, you should know that West stole the moment from another at an award show the other night in order to rant that his friend should have won. Williams threatened an official at the U.S. Open earlier this week. And Wilson yelled, “You lie!” during the president’s recent speech on health care.
It used to be that the relative anonymity of the Web was blamed for a rising tide of incivility. But lately there is ample evidence that boorish behavior is in fashion even if your opponent can make out your identity – witness West, Williams and Wilson.
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Turn off the television and you can see the same sort of thing (sans assault rifle, thankfully) at our own civic functions. Plan on attending a meeting of the Half Moon Bay City Council or the Midcoast Community Council or the Sewer Authority Mid-coastside? Expect a contentious night on the town.
There is a predictable pattern emerging. First these grandstanders become drunk on juice of their own words. Once that is over, there is often a hangover or sorts, followed by recriminations from those who didn’t lose their heads. Then comes contrition. And here we’ve noticed a pattern within a pattern. Often you’ll hear a tepid “I’m-sorry-if-what-I-said-was-misinterpreted” sort of statement. Then, in the full light of the day after, today’s malcontents will often speak their most important words, words that can be much more powerful than their initial fury. Sometimes a true apology can be transformative.
West, Williams and Wilson all offered much more sincere apologies after their first efforts fell flat. And we can learn from their example. To err is human; to do other than forgive is to widen the divide.
-- Clay Lambert
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