So Sorry: What Apologies Should Do
Event Details
Presented by the Toronto Public Library
Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy will appear in conversation with journalist Linda Besner and discuss apologies. As we see nearly every day, a good apology is hard to find. And delivering a good apology is even harder. Luckily, Ingall and McCarthy have a six (and a half)-step formula that demonstrates how to craft the perfect apology. In Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies the authors use psychology, sociology, law, and medicine to unpack what makes for a good apology, responding to a bad apology, teaching children to apologize and how race and gender affect both apologies and forgiveness.
Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies by Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy
(Simon & Schuster)
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that terrible apologies are the worst. We’ve all been on the receiving end, and oh, how they make us seethe. Horrible public apologies—excuse-laden, victim blame-y, weaselly statements—often go viral instantaneously, whether they’re from a celebrity, a politician, or a blogger. We all recognize bad apologies when we hear them. So why is it so hard to apologize well? How can we do better? How could they do better?
Marjorie Ingall and Susan McCarthy show us the way. Drawing on a deep well of research in psychology, sociology, law, and medicine, they explain why a good apology is hard to find and why it doesn’t have to be. Alongside their six (and a half)-step formula for apologizing beautifully, Ingall and McCarthy also delve into how to respond to a bad apology; why corporations, celebrities, and governments seldom apologize well; how to teach children to apologize; how gender and race affect both apologies and forgiveness; and most of all, why good apologies are essential, powerful, and restorative. A good apology can do so many things—mend fences, heal wounds, and bring more harmony into ourselves and our society at large.
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