Finally realized I was apologizing wrong for years after a friend called me out

I used to give these long, detailed apologies trying to explain why I did something dumb. My friend Jen from Ohio straight up told me it sounded like I was making excuses instead of saying sorry. She said a real apology is just three sentences max, no 'but' or 'because' allowed. Turns out she was right, so how do you guys handle a public figure giving a rambling apology on Twitter?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_oliver1d ago

Didn't this happen to my buddy Mike? He posted a whole thread explaining why he was late to a concert and just made himself look worse, should've just said "sorry I'm late" and moved on.

amyh121d ago

See, I get where you're coming from but sometimes the explanation actually matters. Mike's thread probably sounded defensive or made him look like he was making excuses instead of just owning it. But a short "sorry I'm late" with no context can come off as rude too, like you don't care enough to explain why you kept people waiting. The trick is keeping it brief but genuine, like "sorry, traffic was brutal" or "got stuck at work, my bad." It's about showing you respect their time without going into a whole essay about your morning.

emma_garcia1d ago

See this everywhere now, people either overexplain or say nothing.