Has saying sorry taken on epic proportions? In a fascinating article on the Second Generation, Frank Furedi says:
"Politicians have been quick to embrace the ritual of the apology. The Australian government organised a National Sorry Day on 26 May 1998, when Australians were exhorted to express their sorrow for the injustices inflicted on Aboriginal people. A month later, the German government apologised for the 1904 massacre of African people in Namibia. UK prime minister Tony Blair has apologised to the Irish for Britain's role in contributing to the suffering that people experienced during the potato famine. And the Vatican has apologised for the havoc that the Crusades wreaked on the people of the Middle East."
Is the nationalised apology a response to the politicising of memory? I know, I know, I should get a job.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment