An apology

[Dr Lobster*]

David Cameron apologises for making 'Tourette's jibe'

Diane Abbott apologises over 'white people like to divide and rule' remark

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has apologised for saying striking public sector workers should be shot

Alasdair McDonnell has apologised for causing offence by arguing MLAs are entitled to more generous pension provisions and a small salary increase

A Staffordshire MP has apologised for the "inappropriate behaviour" of fellow guests he was with on a stag party in France

a few recent apologies which have made the headlines.

is it just me or has this country gone totally bananas with this artificial outrage that seems to flare up every time somebody says something mildly stupid?

is this outrage fuelled by the media or are people truly made livid by events such as those above?

all of those i quoted, i personally couldn't see the need for an apology in any of them. were some of things which were said ill judged or stupid? maybe. but who cares. it's been said, it's happened.

the one which got me was the clarkson comment - it was so obviously a joke made in clarkson's trademark sardonic way, yet, everybody jumped on the moron bandwagon.

are we all that easily offended?

and have you ever been offended by something somebody had said in public life?

me? never.

[Alexia]

I think the last time I was genuinely offended was the Anne Robinson Wales affair when she tried to put us into Room 101. However I was 16 or so at the time!

Offence is in the eye of the beholder. Unless it affects me personally, I ignore it. Unfortunately, the Mail, Sun and Loose Women tend to believe that they speak for an unqualified "majority" of "rightminded" "upstanding" and most of all "silent" majority who are morally outraged by any of the examples you mention.

Here's a clue - and here's a clue to the BNP as well -- the silent majority are silent for a reason - They don't give a shit!!

Also, it has to be said, Blackbusters was quite clearly a typo (although how I've no idea, unless he was using an old non-QWERTY mobile phone) yet somehow it's front page news?

[WillPS]

The whole thing annoys me. Since Sachsgate it seems that any comment made by anybody publicly needs to be completely inoffensive even if it's removed from context - a nigh on impossible task, and certainly one which would make the world a less funny place.

[Steve in Pudsey]

This is how to do an apology, from the days when the BBC had some balls.