SECTalk Forums - View Single Post - Tennessee welcome back in Pahokee anytime

**fernandomike** · 05-20-2009, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gatorunvrsty

It's just like all the other "apologies" we've bashed in various threads on a plethora of different topics throughout the years. Saying, "I'm sorry you were offended." isn't the same as saying, "I'm sorry I offended you.". That's putting the blame back on the offended person, for being so touchy that your offensive remarks were taken that way. The one I listed is his first "apology"... the one they didn't accept.

C'mon now, how else were they supposed to take his remarks; and how could they possibly not be construed as offensive?

"Someone at the school was going to screw it up," Kiffin said Feb. 5. "The fax machine wouldn't work, or they would have changed the signatures - all the things that go on in Pahokee."

"For those of you who haven't been to Pahokee, there ain't much going on," Kiffin was quoted as saying. "You take that hour drive up from South Florida, there ain't a gas station that works. Nobody's got enough money to even have shoes or a shirt on."

Sorry, telling folks you're sorry they were offended by remarks that are, in fact, offensive, doesn't get it. Saying you're sorry for saying offensive things about people and places you aren't familiar enough with to make the comments is what was called for... and it's what they eventually got.

He never said that he was sorry that THEY misunderstood HIM or took things too seriously. He did say those quoted words are not what he meant. I take that to mean that he chose his words poorly and misrepresented the people of Pahokee. He apologized for that. I have no idea how you see some implied hyper-sensitivity on the part of Pahokee folks in his comments. He didn't say that he was sorry that they were offended which puts some of the fault on them. He said, "if I offended anyone in Pahokee. . ." Now, you might make the claim that the "if" waters it down some, as opposed to plainly stating that he's sorry to have offended those in the town. Still, that is not quite the distinction that you were making.