At one time or another, celebrities like Ariana Grande or Justin Bieber have been ordered to utter this phrase: “I apologize for my comments…” And it makes headlines.
It's extremely common for public figures to immediately retract their comments that they have made and apologize profusely. Then there are people like YouTube comedian Nicole Arbour and GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump that simply will not apologize. As much as we love to hate them, we have to give them credit for standing by what they say instead of constantly spewing fake apologizes in order to not offend anybody with their opinions.
On Sept. 3, Arbour posted a video titled “Dear Fat People” that was a satirical rant about how overweight people bother her, should be shamed into losing weight and how fat shaming doesn’t exist. The video was met with a huge backlash and dozens of negative video responses including one from Whitney Thore, the star of the TLC show “My Big Fat Fabulous Life.”
We literally broke the Internet... With comedy. #censorship pic.twitter.com/m3wgf24Xtb
— Nicole Arbour (@NicoleArbour) September 6, 2015
YouTube deleted Arbour’s YouTube channel on Sept. 5, claiming that she had violated its terms and conditions, but her channel was restored the next day. In response, Arbour tweeted, “We literally broke the Internet... With comedy. #censorship.”
Despite the public outrage, Arbour refused to apologize "That video was made to offend people, just the way I do with all my other videos," Arbour said on "The View." "It's just satire, it's just being silly. I'm just having a bit of fun, and that's what we did."
People were shocked when Arbour refused to apologize. They felt that she needed to issue an apology. Why would she? Arbour felt that there was nothing wrong with the comments she had made in her video and stood by what she had said.
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is notorious for making offensive comments and refusing to apologize for them. He has made comments calling illegal Mexican immigrants “rapists” and “murderers,” and said that Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), a Vietnam war veteran, was not a real hero because he was captured.
I am in no way advocating for Donald Trump as a presidential candidate, in fact, I really hope that he is not elected as president. However, I can’t help but give him credit for being so blunt and honest. He may have horrible ideas and opinions, but at least he stands by what he says.
It’s refreshing to have people candidly expressing their opinions and not being sorry. As a society we seem to be walking on eggshells in order not to offend anybody, but that’s the issue: anything can be offensive.
Related Links:
Political correctness: A product of free speech
Thousands gather at Phoenix Convention Center for Donald Trump rally
Reach the columnist at larober3@asu.edu or follow @lindsayaroberts on Twitter.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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