'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
You've probably missed the Diane Abbott Twitter scandal.
Diane Abbott is a black, British, socialist MP who Tweeted thus this week:
"White people love playing "divide & rule". We should not play their game."
Abbott has plenty of "form" in this regard. She once said that Britain invented "racism"; that blonde, blue-eyed Finnish nurses were unsuited to work in Britain because they had never met a black person; and that West Indian mothers cared about their children more than white mothers. Had she been white, of course, her latest Tweet would probably have cost her her job. As it was, the resultant furor led to the following non-apology apology:
"Tweet taken out of context. Refers to nature of 19th century European colonialism. Bit much to get into 140 characters."
Ah yes, the old "quoted out of context" gambit, favorite of shyster politicians and dodgy celebrities across the globe. When you think about it, though, it's the lamest excuse ever. Implicit in it is the notion that somewhere out there is, to take the example of Abbott's Tweet, a context in which it is perfectly acceptable for an elected parliamentary representative to make crass generalizations based on skin color. Really? The mind boggles as to what that context might be.
What the "Quoted out of context" excuse really means is "OK you caught me fair and square but I'm damned if I'm going to retract my words let alone apologize because, hey, why should I when I know the 'quoted out of context' line is going to let me off the hook?"
Politicians never make real apologies these days. Perhaps they never did. But they're getting more brazen in their lack of contrition. Master of the non-apology apology is, of course, Newt Gingrich. I particularly cherish his excuse as to why he cheated on his second wife:
"There's no question at times in my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate."
As Andrew Roberts has noted in Standpoint, Gingrich is here ingeniously recasting adultery as patriotic duty. Priceless!
- Comment (24)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments:
Feb '11
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
What would happen if William Hague tweeted "West Indians love playing "divide & rule". We should not play their game." and then refused to properly apologize? For some background, Diane Abbott is the same horrible woman who goes on and on about how terrible private schools are, then sent her children to one of the most expensive ones.
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
I too have wondered why reporters don't follow the excuse given with the question, "In what context is saying those words a good thing?"
I'm also not buying this woman's excuse. If she were talking about the 19th century, "should not play" would have been "should not have played."
Jun '10
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
James: Only liberals are "quoted out of context." And I really do love the "I apologize to anyone who might have been offended by my words" apology (subtext: anyone offended by my inoffensive remarks must be an idiot).
Your mention of Andrew Roberts (a great historian with a superb new one-volume history of WWII entitled The Storm of War) raises a question. Perhaps it's my English heritage, but I have a real affinity for several English "conservatives." For example, in addition to the incomparable James Delingpole (note the sucking up), I greatly admire Roberts, Paul Johnson, Melanie Phillips, Roger Scruton, Theodore Dalrymple/Anthony Daniels, Michael Burleigh, David Pryce-Jones, and others.
So here're the questions: do you all know each other? If not, why not? Have you formed a conservative cabal? If not, you should.
Dec '11
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
My favorite is the "I take full responsibility" dodge. This is most often employed at the Cabinet level, by Secretaries who then, of course, go on to take no responsibility at all.
Aug '10
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
There is an awesome video of her that fans of The Thick of It and In The Loop will find hilarious.
In the video, she's being interviewed on the kerfuffle, and she keeps digging a deeper hole for herself.
In the middle of the interview she gets a cell phone call, answers it, and then immediately walks away from the reporter.
Clearly, Malcolm Tucker is on the other side of that phone call.
Jun '10
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
Virtue can be measured by the amount of melanin in the skin. Dark people are inherently virtuous because it's genetic. White people are evil because they are melanin deficient. Makes perfect sense. And the combination of pale, male, and European? Unforgivable!
Sarc/off
Dec '10
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
I realize I'm stating the obvious, but it needs to be said... she's a racist.
May '11
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
A real apology for bad behavior: John Profumo.
Dec '10
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
Everyone seems to focus on the "white people" part of the tweet. I find equally remarkable the "we" part: clearly she is a racial separatist.
Oct '10
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
New dangers in public service: Being misquoted or quoted out of context in a statement you draft and release yourself.
Jun '10
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
So the new excuse is "I quoted myself out-of-context"?
Apr '11
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
I love this one too and I use some form of it often, especially when dealing with lefties.
I say something frank that I believe is true and they're offended. They respond not by disagreeing but by telling me that they're offended. I tell them I am sorry that they feel hurt by what I said (not taking back what I said but I don't want them to feel bad) and somehow they feel better. Weird, I didn't apologize yet they FEEL better.
Apr '11
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
Tommy De Seno:
I'm also not buying this woman's excuse. If she were talking about the 19th century, "should not play" would have been "should not have played." ·
It's worth reading the tweet in the context of its conversation. The broader topic was the sentencing of the racist killers of Stephen Lawrence, a 1993 killing that became the basis for the 1999 Macpherson report, which found the police to be "institutionally racist". The killers were finally charged in 2010, and sentenced last Wednesday.
This is a very big deal for UK race relations, with current arguments including issues with the sentences handed down. Bim Adewunmi (article by Bim also worth reading), watching the news, responded with the tweet "I do wish everyone would stop saying 'the black community' though", followed up by ""Clarifying my 'black community' tweet: I hate the generally lazy thinking behind the use of the term. Same for 'black community leaders'."
This is what Dianne Abbot, MP and Black community leader, was responding to. Bim argues against a monolithic approach (hurrah for black feminist poverty activists taking the conservative line!), and Abbot calls for more solidarity, plus #dontwashdirtylineninpublic hashtag.
In context, vile.
Oct '10
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
Which Alinsky rule is the one about accusing the enemy of what you yourself are doing? Black politicians (at least in America) are masters of divide and rule. And let's not kid ourselves: politics is divide-and-rule tactics, and everyone must play the game to at least some extent, whether they want to or not.
I'm getting sick of black politics. Even black leaders seem to be getting uncomfortable with how bad American black culture has gotten, to the point I think they'll change course in a couple of years and things will get better. What I didn't know was that Britain suffered from the same problem.
It's interesting to observe the difference between American-born (or I guess British-born) and foreign blacks; there are stereotypical "race" attributes that are true of American blacks, but not foreign ones. [edit addendum]It's an interesting way to piece apart which stereotypical (but true) attributes of blacks are truly racial and which are cultural (which is most of them, IMHO).[/edit]
Edited on January 7, 2012 at 9:27pmNov '11
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
If you wish to see Gingrich's comments about his adultery in context, you might go here. I don't believe he is "recasting" his transgressions as a "patriotic duty", but he does seem to be making excuses for his past shameful behavior.
Apr '11
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
She seems perfectly happy to divide black from white.
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
That’s actually really funny. “We should not play” is ‘clarified’ into “We should not build a time machine, travel back to the nineteenth-century, use our future-people powers to join the colonial establishment of European great powers, and then implement divide-and-conquer policies in colonies.”
Well, ok, Diane, I won’t.
Jul '11
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
One of my tweets the other day: "Black people love mindlessly killing people. Watch out!"
My tweet the next day: "Tweet taken out of context! Refers to the Rwandan genocide in '94. Bit much to get into 140 characters! Please RT!"
Mar '11
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
Misthiocracy:
In the middle of the interview she gets a cell phone call, answers it, and then immediately walks away from the reporter.
Clearly, Malcolm Tucker is on the other side of that phone call.
The caller was actually the leader of the UK Labour party (in England, socialists are called socialists, rather than "liberal progressives"), Ed Miliband.
Ms Abbott is a nice lady, but racism, or reverse racism, runs deep. I am sure Mr Holder is a perfectly nice chap, also.
Aug '10
Re: 'I Was Quoted Out of Context' and Other Non-Apology Apologies
Was it really, or are you telling a (pretty decent) joke?
If it was actually Ed Miliband, that's the funniest thing ever!