Spent 2 days breaking down that influencer's 'mental health break' apology video

I paused and rewound that 4 minute clip over and over, checking the eye contact and scripted pauses. It took me way longer than the video itself just to map out all the non-apology language and brand damage control. Has anyone else noticed how they always say 'to anyone who was offended' instead of 'I'm sorry for what I did'?

4 comments

4 Comments

grant.anthony1mo ago

Man, I feel you on that. I used to get stuck in that same loop, picking apart every word choice. What helped me was making a simple checklist for real apologies. I look for them saying the words "I'm sorry for" plus the specific thing they did, like "for my racist comment" not just "if you were hurt." If they don't name it and just talk about their own journey, I close the tab. Saves so much time and frustration.

the_robert1mo ago

Spot on, grant.anthony... that checklist idea cuts through the noise. I see the same vague non-apologies all the time from companies and people who messed up. They'll talk about "moving forward" but never actually say what they did wrong... it's just a way to avoid real blame.

harperr821mo ago

That 2 day deep dive sounds familiar. I've wasted whole afternoons on those "sorry if" videos.

beth_park1mo ago

Oh man, my own apology video would just be me saying sorry for watching all those apology videos!