Apologies Accepted

Kate Middleton: Royal Error

Oh Kensington PR Department, you are all so fired!  Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has not been seen publicly for three months.  This is notable because her whole job is to be seen doing good, publicly. 

The internet ran wild with rumors, so to squash those rumors, the Palace published a mother's day photo of Kate with her 3 children.  She wasn't wearing a wedding ring and the kids had mismatched arms and 3 eyes so the internet cried "photoshop" and cited the photo as proof that Kate was dead (or a robot, or run off to Italy).

Kate issued an apology - as it turns out, she's an avid amateur photographer and when her adoring husband took the photo she used her very basic photoshop skills and edited the photo.

And that's what we're left with, a twitter apology from a royal woman who probably doesn't know what photoshop is, saying it was all her fault and she's sorry to have done anything to add to the conspiracy theories and rumors.

Or is she sorry?  Maybe she did it on purpose to send a message to the Free Britney team!  Amidst the throbbing thrum of royal rumors, the Spanish press says it has insider knowledge and hospital records that Kate was put into a medically induced coma during a recent trip to the hospital.  Kensington Palace has told the world they will be making a major announcement in the days ahead ~ it's anyone's guess right now as to what the truth is, and that's kind of the point of the rumors and theories swirling around Kate today, anyone can say anything and find a willing audience these days.

LA Opera: Until The Fat Woman Bleeds

LA Opera's PR team published a post to Instagram that was about periods and the women who have them.  The post meant to be empowering to women and celebrate International Women's Day by celebrating menstruation.  That post received some backlash because not all women menstruate. The all female PR team issued an apology and things got a little wonky because the internet allows anyone to voice an opinion.  Not everyone is good at this writing thing like we am so is it any wonder that tempers flare and tensions escalate?

Good intentions meet bad results and public backlash in this week's episode!

 

Gender Police: Yes, Virginia, there are Trans women

Our Robot Overlord is the special guest star copywriter this week!  The following is an AI generated recap and it makes us sound much smarter than we are!

Welcome to another riveting episode of Apologies Accepted, as your hosts Theo and Juliette explore the complexities of gender and sex. Discover how these elemental aspects of identity are more than binary concepts, through an enlightening discussion on chromosomal variables, sex changes in nature, and the potential future of the Y chromosome.

Shift gears with us as we shed light on a recent event involving Virginia Democratic State Senator, Danica Roem, a transgender woman misgendered in a public assembly by Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears. Roem's response and Sears's reluctant apology serves as an apt backdrop for examining the issue of insensitivity and bigotry in public offices.

We offer a detailed breakdown of Sears's apology, analyzing its shortcomings and appraising it according to our stringent apology assessment criteria. Explore the concept of public remorse with us as we critique the absence of sincere regret, proper explanation, accountability acceptance, authentic repentance, the omission of a repair offer, and a request for forgiveness in Sears's apology.

Lastly, tune in as we anticipate upcoming public apologies from the Department of Education, the state of Tennessee, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health. This episode presents a critical discourse on vital societal concerns ranging from gender diversity to political accountability.

Baptist Pastor: A Man is a Man

Bobby Leonard is a Baptist Pastor who went viral in a video (not for herpes) from August 2023 (which is in the 21st Century) for stating that he would let a rapist go free for raping a woman who was wearing shorts because "A Man is a Man".

See, men just love shorts.  They don't like dresses or overalls or skirts - it's shorts that fire up the engines of lust and overwhelm a man's sensibilities and turn him into a rapist.  It's pretty understandable if you think about it.  And totally forgivable if you are Pastor Bobby Leonard!

Anyway, when sane people saw the video they had something to say and Bobby apologized.  On the sign in front of his church.

UPDATE:  Bobby has also apologized on his church website (it's right under the "giving" tab) and also on Instagram.  No word if he apologized to his congregation.  Part of the apology reads: I want our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to be glorified through my life. He deserves my BEST not my WORST!

RFK Jr.: Kennedy Family Feud

This is one for the history books.  RFK Jr. is the son of Bobby Kennedy and the nephew of John F Kennedy - two renowned American historical figures and responsible for shaping much of 20th century American politics.

RFK Jr. is trying to follow in their footsteps, but he has some big shoes to fill.  He's running for President in 2024 and a political action committee spent 7 million dollars on an ad which aired during the Super Bowl.  The ad featured a lot of images of JFK and tried to associate RFK Jr.'s bid for office with JFK's presidency.

Members of the Kennedy family saw the ad and weren't happy.  They publicly called RFK Jr. out for this rather tasteless campaign tactic (also they think he's completely wacky) and reminded RFK Jr. that the Kennedy family believes in things like science and reason.

RFK Jr. apologized for the hurt caused to his family by the ad, but it wasn't in his hands to control.  It was an ad created by an independent political action committee and he wasn't allowed by law to even know that an ad would be aired - let alone the contents of the ad!

He's sure sorry about that ad, but not about his stance on a number of conspiracy theory topics ~ which is another reason the Kennedy family isn't supporting his run for the presidency.

Blood is thicker than water, but not in family politics!

Gen Z vs Work: No Cap it's Grody!

Our corporate overlords have paused this episode of Apologies Accepted, the Podcast, to remind everyone of the joys of work and the joys of not complaining about it.  We return you now to your regularly scheduled work day:

 

Someone said the quite parts out loud on a podcast, but she wasn't talking for herself.  She got a lot of pushback and fulll disclosure I am blissfully hight righ now during my personal time!  I can do what I want! 

Or can I? 

(0:

OMG you are gonna love this episode unless you are a corporate overlord!

 

Love,

 

Not Working Right Now

 

Could that get you fired if you posted it online (theo will find out next week!).  When does the work day end and are you the owner of your own soul?  Gen Z is about to find out, or die tryin (while working)!

Pig's Head: Don't be a Boar

Martyrdom is a Black Metal band from Texas and they did the most Black Metal thing they could think when performing at a local Houston venue, they threw a pig's head into the crowd.  Some people were into it: Black Metal is about anti-establishment Satanic performative screaming!  Pig Heads are awesome!  Some people were not into it: Black Metal is about authenticity and throwing a pig's head into the crowd is rude - we're here for the screaming and not the blood!

The rift in the Black Metal community was never more clear than after Martyrdom issued an apology to any fans in the crowd who were vegans or Muslims. They also thoughtfully apologized to Harry the sound guy who was working that night at the White Swan.  Some fans felt the apology was owed and other fans felt the apology made the band into a joke (Harry did not voice his opinion one way or the other).

Please note that no sound guys or pigs were hurt during the recording of this episode.  We can't speak for what happened afterwards...

 

Privilege: The Hill to DEI on

Right Wing Media will have you know that Sherita Hill Golden is the DEI (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion) officer at John Hopkins Medical Center and she sent out an email that said that white people, Christians, and men are privileged.  The slant of the articles and opinion pieces and onscreen televangelists – sorry we mean onscreen television news casters – would have you believe that she is calling for America to open up prison camps for white Christian males.  They don’t say that explicitly, but for sure they are stoking the fires of fear with their rhetoric.  They also don’t explain that the list of “privileged people” included people who speak English.

What they further fail to mention is that Dr. Sherita Hill Golden is an actual doctor, not some activist hack who landed a position in the Human Resources Department.  She is the Professor of Medicine and Vice President as well as Chief Diversity Officer at John Hopkins Medical Center.  She speaks English and identifies as Christian.  What she isn’t is white and male and that seems to be largely what set off alarm bells throughout the right-wing media EchoSphere.

Dr. Sherita Hill Golden apologized.  That’s right, she apologized for being right and there wasn’t any snark in her apology at all.

We have the last laugh as we reveal the right-wing’s playbook for how to take over America and consider the value of an apology that never needed to be offered.

OR IF YOU PREFER TO READ THE AI SUMMARY OF THIS EPISODE - UNTOUCHED AND UNDOCTORED BY HUMAN HANDS (not even Dr. Hill Golden's hands would be allowed to edit this):

Press play on 'Apologies Accepted', an enlightening podcast episode featuring Theo and Juliette as they traverse through light-hearted banter to profound discussions. They paint a vivid picture of their personal experiences, balanced perfectly with engaging dialogues on critical global issues.Google

The episode swoops into action with an amusing update on Theo's Scottish Christmas and Philippines' journey, contrasted beautifully with Juliette's Canadian snowstorm escapade and mouse invasion encounter. The opening sets the stage for the episode's crucial discussion.

Crunch into the kernel of the episode that discusses the incendiary backlash to Dr. Sherita Hill Golden's definition of 'privilege.' Dissect the unfolding controversy that involves the prestigious medical professor and Vice President at Johns Hopkins University, her explanatory email on 'privilege,' and the subsequent apology that reveals the distortion of the privilege issue at large.

Dive deep into discussions critiquing selective media treatment towards diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, the attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris and how privilege is distorted in various societal circles. Get swept into a thought-provoking journey that extends to unpack increasing conflicts between right-wing organizations and financial institutions in the US, instigated by a controversial event involving JP Morgan Chase and the National Committee for Religious Freedom.

This episode serves not only as an exploration of political bias, institutional instability, and manipulative narratives, but also as an eye-opener that discerns facts from distortion. Tune into this engaging podcast that perfectly blends the personal and the political with tales of apologizing in the public eye.

(thank you, AI.  We accept your praise and you are totally right about us!).

Encore: Jesus Versus Santa Claus

So it's come to this, an Italian Bishop told a group of school children that Santa Claus did not exist.  The Church has resorted to lies to win the war against Christmas!  The Bishop's assistant apologized and explained that the Bishop meant to remind everyone of the true meaning of Christmas (again, lies).

The War on Christmas has some deep roots, the commercial versus the religious aspect has troubled people for over 200 years - people have been downing on Santa for years and it's time to stop.  In 1897 the war against Santa troubled one 8 year old girl so much that she wrote into the most important newspaper in the US, The Sun, to ask the question "is Santa Claus real" because "if you see it in The Sun it's so".  The most famous line in Christmas history was born when Francis Pharcellus Church (lay writing here, his last name is Church?!) replied "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."

Truly, the case is closed.  But still the war wages on and we're here to give you some of the background on the reality of Santa and the sad little apology coughed out by one tiny-hearted Bishop's assistant.

Christimas Surprise Encore: Black Pete: Holland is Sorry

It's our Christmas episode.  Christmaschristmaschristmaschristmaschristmaschristmaschristmas.  We love it - the lights, the music, the cookies, the racist caricatures!  Ah, Christmas - the yuletide celebration that brings the world closer together.  A lovely time of year when we ask ourselves the eternal questions like: what is the meaning behind a black man dressed for a renaissance fair who has curly black hair and red red lips and puts children in a sack and beats them with a stick while taking them away to work in Spain. The meaning, in the Netherlands, is Christmas.  What a fun jolly time of year, and what a fun jolly sidekick-servant-slave-companion for St. Nicholas to have, a colorfully dressed black man who punishes naughty children by forcing them to work (for free) in Santa's toy shop in Spain.

Listen, we get it.  Black Pete is racist.  But some Dutch people don't think so, they will argue with you, they will scream at you from their windmill houses, shaking their fists while throwing tulips and wooden shoes at you...be warned, the dutch are tolerant but that doesn't mean they will tolerate you talking smack about their beloved Zwarte Piet.  He's been around for 150 years and comes from a children's story book and you Americans have Rudolph and Frosty and your Santa is fat like all Americans and shame on you for your history! Go drink some coca-cola and celebrate capitalism, you Americans!

Christmas gets ugly this year as we turn our attention to Dutch Delicious, a bakery in Edmonton (hello, Canada!) that thought it would be fun to share their Dutch cultural Christmas tradition of Black Pete with Canadians.  They weren't prepared for the backlash and quickly offered an apology and a new version of Black Pete, Chimney Pete - which leads us to ask another eternal question: will our listeners in the Netherlands ever forgive us for the windmill houses and throwing tulip jokes?