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 The author argues that Rush Limbaugh didn't really apologize for maligning a Georgetown Law student.
March 6th, 2012
01:05 PM ET
My Take: Rush Limbaugh's 'apology' fails test for public confession
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN Dear Rush, which part of “I’m sorry” don’t you understand? The ritual of public confession is so formulaic in American culture that it’s hard to imagine that someone as media savvy as Rush Limbaugh doesn’t know how to do it. But his so-called apology for calling Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” shows he doesn’t know the first thing about this rite, so here is how it goes. First, admit that you have done wrong. Say this straight. Do not hedge. Do not confuse things by saying that others have wronged you. Do not say that others have committed similar sins.
Here the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church is a good model:
Second, show that you are truly sorry. Saying “I’m sorry” (which Limbaugh did not do) is a good start, but it isn’t enough. You have to make yourself believable. Here tears are not necessary, but they help. Others need to believe that you are confessing for the sake of your soul, and not merely for the sake of your career. Hint: the best way to make that happen is to actually be sorry. Third, humble yourself. Admit that you are a human being like the rest of us. This can be difficult for people with a high opinion of themselves. So what. Suck it up. Fourth, repent, turn around, promise that you will go and sin no more. Look familiar? It should, if you’ve ever gone to Catholic Mass or observed Yom Kippur. But Limbaugh flubbed it big time. First, he didn’t really apologize for turning a public policy question into a vicious personal attack. In fact, he said, “I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke.” Second, he tried to justify his unjustifiable behavior by claiming that he was trying to be “absurd” and “humorous.” He wasn’t trying to libel or slander Fluke, or to shut her up or humiliate her. He was just trying to have a little fun. Third, Limbaugh stopped apologizing almost as soon as his apology had begun. Instead of detailing his many and manifold sins, he launched into a reprise of his argument against birth control coverage in U.S. health plans, and criticized President Obama along the way for coming to Fluke’s defense. In other words, he changed the subject, so the bulk of his ”apology” wasn’t an apology at all. Finally, when he got to something approaching apologizing, Limbaugh did not apologize for what he really did. He did not apologize for launching a multi-day ad hominem attack against a private citizen. He did not apologize for dragging the American public through the muck and mire of his misogynistic fantasies. He did not apologize for inspiring a series of copycats in the right wing blogosphere. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories Instead he apologized for “insulting word choices.” In other words, he apologized for using the word “slut” instead of some less insulting synonym. Given this abysmal performance, we should not be surprised that Fluke did not find his remarks particularly apologetic, or that she and many others believe he issued it not out of genuine remorse but in an effort to stanch the hemmoraging of advertisers from his show. “I don’t think that a statement like this issued, saying that his choice of words was not the best, changes anything, and especially when that statement is issued when he’s under significant pressure from sponsors who have begun to pull their support,” said Fluke, a Georgetown Law student. Neither should we find it surprising that advertisers, including AOL, are fleeing the show en masse, and that some radio stations are now refusing to air it. Limbaugh could have stanched the bleeding by practicing what historian Susan Wise Bauer has described as “the art of the public grovel.” Instead he gave us the art of the public equivocation. Why? So why couldn’t he say, "I'm sorry"? In a word: ego. Republicans and Democrats will doubtless disagree about vices and virtues of the man who would be a GOP kingmaker. But there is no doubting that Limbaugh admires himself. And he is not about to sacrifice that form of worship at the altar of Sandra Fluke or anyone else. That is why he is now blaming not himself but the companies who have stopped advertising on his show for their decision to separate themselves from his hate speech. “They’ve decided they don’t want you or your business any more,” he told his radio audience on Monday. This in my view is a foolish course. Americans are a forgiving people. Many of the public figures profiled in Bauer’s “The Art of the Public Grovel” have come back into the public eye, not least President Bill Clinton. But the American public will not forgive you unless and until you confess and repent. And so far at least Limbaugh has refused to do either. At this point, what is dragging Limbaugh down is not so much his incendiary attack on Fluke but his refusal to admit that, like the rest of us, he is a sinner, too. Until he does that, he will continue to float around in a celebrity limbo of his own making, praised by his true believers but damned - and rightly so - by most of the rest of us. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephen Prothero.
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of "God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World," is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.
Worthless article.
The author claims that a prayer of confession, written by some church organization, is a "good model".
The two most meaningless words in the English language – "I'm sorry."
Rock
Duane and others on the fringe Right:
Read up on the issue why don't you? It's about INSURANCE!!! Not Government!! Unless you are paying rpremiums on the exact same insurance that the students at Georgetown are, it isn't costing you a plugged nickel....sheesh!!
You guys remember Bill Maher? Ever heard him talk about Sarah Palin? The media didn't demand he apologize. How about that comic Wanda Sykes. Remember her? Obama thought it was funny when she went off on Sarah Palin at HIS fundraiser with her brand of name calling and vulgarity. But that's different. They are on the left. Limbaugh says similar stuff. Now you cry foul? Up yours!
Why don't you boycott him then?
Such bs. You do realize that the point you're making is that it happens on both sides. So why are defending Limbaugh? Oh, because it's political to you. There you go – nailed another reason without realizing the very thing you were saying.
(this is too easy)
Bill Maher is a comedian on a premium cable channel. Rush Limbaugh is the de facto head of the Republican party. To compare the two is a cop out. So are you saying that Rush was OK doing what he did?
Sarah plain is NOT. I repeat NOT private citizen just addressing her elected officials, her government. SARAH PALIN is one of them, or was, and is now a public media figure herself. The two are not at all in the same league.
If you cannot grasp that, take a high school government class
Defending Limbaugh? I couldn't care less what happens to Rush Limbaugh. Both sides of the ailse are garbage. How easy was that KD?
The hypocrasy among the left is amazing. Bill Mahers remarks toward republican woman on a regular basis get almost zero press or condemnation, either does the acceptance of a million dollars from his pack. Please Obama, lecture us on civility
Obama wants to tax the crap out of the working to give this dumb girl birth control??? buy a condom!!!!!
Seriously?? This is what some people think?!? Who feeds them this BS?? Oh – Limbaugh. Never underestimate the anger, ugliness and lack of intelligence in people who will defend to the death the nasty, racist, misogynistic, lying bs that supports their own prejudices.
You have to consider the source. DUH wane isn't exactly a Rhodes Scholar.
Duane, i would be happy to pay more taxes
if it stopped people like you from breeding.
Time to thin the herd.
Sandra has been contacted by dozens of high profile attorneys. Cant wait for the trial to begin.
Is Rush back to pounding the Norcos again?
And what about Bill Maher ?
Democrats are hypocrites!
What about him?
Well who is stopping you from boycotting Bill Maher? Why don't you call and complain to his sponsors and demand they pull off of his program? You can do the same thing to him that is happening to Rush right now.
There is a HUGE difference. Bill Mahr is a comic. Rush is supposed to be a commentator and is taken seriously by the dittobots.
You get what you give.
Or, is that over your head ?
Limbuagh is a business man and he messed up. He went to far. He is paying the price. Thats free market justice.
It's only the free market if it supports conservatives. Otherwise it's a liberal conspiracy.
The man is probably still on Oxycontin
Who cares???? Really??? With all the messed up things going on in the world ... out of control gas prices, Syrians slain in the streets, the possibility of war with Iran, Super Tuesday, defense budgets being slashed, unemployment, the economy ... you're going to waste my time with Rush Limbaugh and condoms? I'm so done with CNN
lol
How bout slander. What if it was your sister, daughter, mother or wife he slandered like that. And clearly your time wasn't wasted or you would have walked on by without a comment
Steve, your a liar, we all know you watch fox news and you came here to see what life as a troll would be like.
who cares about Rush???? the real issue is you libs and your prez getting your hands out of my pocket.......buy a condom...
Is that the only argument you can think of?
Sure, as soon as your candidates take their noses out of my reproductive system.
Why buy a condom when you can just shoot over to a clinic and have it taken care of? One and done.
Make the FdA remove the requirement for a prescription for hormonal birth control and your point will be well taken. Until then STFU.
Well in that case he should have also opposed treatment for ED/purchase of vig8ra etc coz by the analogy the men taking vig8ra are gig0lo ...........
I agree! We should also have people buying their own Viagra too!! I don't want to fund anybody's erection!!
Rush copped out like a common coward. Even the usual cop-out "I am sorry my comments were interpreted wrong by those I insulted" wasn't enough for him – this "OH! OH! The lefties made me do it! I am the real victim!" is the sign of a coward at heart who can't stand his ground or admit he's wrong.
Very cowardly and common type blowhard buffoon...
He didn't really apologize, but he also didn't really retain his advertisers, sponsors, or radio station affiliations. So I guess all's well that ends well.
You can't follow and apology with insults. That makes it no apology at all. A person who does that is an altered state of being.
Oxy oxy oxy?????
Oxen free!
Maybe if Limbaugh gave a million bucks to Obama's Super PAC, he would be allowed to attack anyone at will like Maher is allowed to do with impunity.......
Maybe. So Rush was the victim, in your opinion? Just to clarify...because I want to make sure we're reading you correctly. Is that in fact what you're saying, that Rush was unfairly targeted after having done absolutely nothing wrong?
When was the last time Maher called a private citizen a sl&t and got excused for it?
Maher is a comedian. There's a big difference.
The simple difference is CABLE. Not that Maher is any better, but cable vs. non makes all the difference
Rush isn't a comedian? His entire life has been one big comedy.
I've seen this come back a few times now. I know Maher can step out of bounds occationally, but please give us one example of smething he's said that compares to this particular diatribe by Rush.
the only solution is to fire him.
That solves the problem of the one. But what about the thousands of conservatards out there who applaud him and think he's the victim? Our real problem is the de-evolved state of the conservative brain in America.
You can't fix stupid, but you can cut his allowance.
Bravo
"Look familiar? It should, if you’ve ever gone to Catholic Mass or observed Yom Kippur."
Talk about ego! Yes, because you must be religious somehow in order to fully understand how to truly be apologetic and remorseful. Eesh!
The author is correct in his assessment that Limbaugh didn't apologize. And he's right that Limbaugh won't apologize. At least not with any degree of sympathy. He's essentially correct in everything he wrote with the exception of the public not letting go or forgiving. They will move on. Limbaugh's action will be forgotten, to be replaced by someone else's. Sad but true.
For the record, I don't seee Limbaugh as any better or worse than any of the other radio & TV personalities who float their vitriol over the airwaves and TV channels. I don't watch or listen to their programs. If it wasn't for news outlets mentioning their names I wouldn't know about any of them. And I think we'd be a heck of a lot better off if all of them shut up and walked away into the sunset. All they serve to do is contribute to the divide in this country. Their platforms are all the same: bash the "other side" while simultaneously complaining that they're getting bashed by the "other side", all the while crying foul.
You forgot "for the purpose of making money."