Hey everyone, @lemony-cricket here, and... well, just accept my apology already.
Sorry? What have you done?
Nothing. I didn't do anything to you. The "you" in the title, as well as the person I'm speaking to in the brief introduction, is hypothetical. I'll switch to a different "you" now. Now, when I say "you," I'll be meaning me.
You know those people you run into? Like literally run into. On the street, or in another public place. It's busy, you're walking along and BOOM. You really hit them. Maybe they fall down, or drop something. But here's where it gets interesting. What do you say?
Oh, sorry about that!
Very good. This is correct. This is the correct thing to say, when you bowl a person over running down the street like a lunatic.
There are a couple of things that can happen now. Your victim could get up, dust themselves off, and have a genuine laugh with or at you and say any of the following:
- 'S all good, mate.
- Hey, don't worry about it.
- One of those days, eh?
Any of these, or variations thereof, are acceptable.
Sometimes, it's a bit tougher. Perhaps your victim is having a bad hair day. Perhaps their cat has just died, or they're a big boss at Facebook and their wife's just left them for a top 20 Steem witness. These are understandable things that happen to everyone. It's part of the human condition. So they ignore you, or mumble something and start walking off. This is only fair. You've earned it. You did fuck up and run them over, after all. Don't forget that you're still the arsehole here.
This is where you try again. Care to give it a try?
Look mate, I'm really sorry, I dunno what I was thinking, not looking where I'm going like that. Are you hurt?
Perfect. That does it. Sincere, heartfelt, and to the point. You've admitted fault; you have established that this is not just your standard, run-of-the-mill apology handshake; you are truly sorry.
But then, they look at you in the eye, maybe shake their head, and just walk off. Maybe silently. Extra points for:
Fuck off.
Right, then. Who's the arsehole now? 🍋
How to get an upvote from me today: Do you think apologies for honest and trivial mistakes deserve to be acknowledged and accepted? Think it's the offended party's natural-born right to snub them? Share my view? Think I'm an entitled snowflake? All comments are welcome.