One of my pet peeves of modern journalism is its willingness to slap the label “apology” on things that fall far short of actual apologies, which require an acknowledgement of personal wrongdoing and a real commitment to self-improvement.

It’s bad enough when public figures, usually politicians, get away with the “I apologize to anyone who was offended” routine, which shifts the onus onto those who were offended and implies that the offender didn’t really do anything wrong. What’s worse is when VTDigger gives state Sen. Sam Douglass credit for an “apology” in his first public statement after the explosive POLITICO report that threatens to sink his political career.

It was not an apology, not at all. Douglass did use the words “I apologize,” but not in reference to anything he said or did. Instead, he vaguely waved around in the passive tense about stuff that happened while he might have been in the vicinity but wasn’t paying attention.

And Digger’s headline called it an “apology.” Whoever wrote that headline should read a frickin’ dictionary.

Here, for the sake of the historical record, is the entirely of Douglass’ written statement. (He has yet to speak with any reporters on the record as far as I can tell.)

I completely denounce and fully condemn the vile and disgusting comments included in the POLITICO article and I have cut all ties with those involved. My role in the group chat in question was a procedural one about bylaws and floor strategy. There were often periods of multiple days when I didn’t check this group chat and I was unfortunately unaware of those comments. I should’ve been more vigilant, more careful, and less naive about who I associate with and my digital environments. I will continue to call out this behavior whenever I see it. The comment attributed to me in the article was not a generalization and doesn’t represent my views or character. I apologize so deeply to my constituents and colleagues that our county and state have been dragged into this. I am currently weighing all my options to ensure that the outcome of this is what’s best for the safety and wellbeing of my family and my constituency, and I will make another statement before the end of the week. 

Blah, blah, blah, deflect, excuse, claim ignorance, take no responsibility. What a champion.

He denounces and condemns the comments “included in the POLITICO article,” which were presumably a representative sample of all the comments (some 2,900 pages in total) exchanged by Douglass and his Young Republican buddies. It’s not the comments in the article; it’s the entire dismal swamp of racism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and all kinds of horrible stuff that Douglass didn’t seem to find objectionable. He chose to play around in that swamp. He did, that is, until he got caught.

He claims the racist, sexist comment attributed to him by POLITICO somehow “doesn’t represent my views or character,” so I guess his cat jumped onto the keyboard, typed out a greasy slur, and pawed the SEND button before Douglass could intervene? He doesn’t address the anti-Semitic remark attributed to his wife. Instead, he paints himself as a caretaker, almost a bystander, oblivious to what was going on all around him. I mean, somebody had to empty the wastebaskets at Auschwitz.

He apologizes, not for anything he said, did, or didn’t do, but “that our county and state have been dragged into this,” without defining what “this” is or who did the dragging. It could even be taken as a slam at POLITICO for publishing its exposé.

He claims to be “weighing all my options” and prioritizing “what’s best for the safety and wellbeing (sic) of my family and my constituency,” which implies that the safety and well-being of his family and constituency are under threat because of POLITICO or because of the widespread calls for him to resign.

See, Sam Douglass, by his own explanation, is the innocent eye at the center of this storm. It was happening all around him, and the closest he comes to acknowledging wrongdoing is that he didn’t pay close enough attention.

Well, bull and shit. He hangs out in a chat full of obnoxious commenters for more than eight full months, per POLITICO. He participates in comment threads at least some of the time. He must have felt comfortable in those toxic surroundings. Which either means that he shares the sentiments expressed or, at minimum, doesn’t realize how offensive they are. As far as we know, he never raised his [digital] arm to say something like, “Hey, fellas, you think we should maybe tone it down a little?” Nope, he just kept on whistling down the hallway, sweeping the floors, oblivious to the carnage all around him. Or so he says.

Shall I take a stab at a proper apology? Something like this:

I apologize for the vile, offensive comments posted online by me and my associates. There is no excuse for my part in this matter. I have brought dishonor upon myself, my party, and the state that I love. My constituents deserve better. I hereby resign from my position in the state Senate and promise to devote myself to improving my character and becoming more inclusive in thought and deed. I am still a young man, and hope someday to return to public service. For now, I do not deserve that honor.

Now, if Douglass said something like that, he would merit Digger’s headline.

There is only one way in which I feel sorry for Douglass and his now-banished colleagues: They must have felt emboldened in their sociopathy by the equally toxic attitudes of their seniors in the conservative movement. The statements reported by POLITICO aren’t all that different from stuff Donald Trump says on any day ending in “Y.” There are plenty of public figures in Republican circles who regularly say obnoxious stuff. These Young Republicans probably felt the need to go with the flow, to imitate (and outdo) the behaviors and attitudes of their leaders. Sure, they took it to a new level, but some who’ve been quick to condemn have said and done things that were not that much different.

That’s not enough to excuse Douglass or anyone else, but it does help explain how this whole thing happened. And it points out that Douglass ought to be just the first of many, many conservative Republicans stepping forward to apologize for their words and actions.