A 2023 Column Contest grand-prize winner, Laurence Pevsner’s Sorry Not Sorry investigates why we’re sick of everyone apologizing all the time—and how the collapse of the public apology leaves little room for forgiveness and grace in our politics and culture.
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In 2015, Ariana Grande licked doughnuts that were not hers to lick. She and her boyfriend at the time, as some kind of lovers’ hijinks or truth-or-dare game, surreptitiously touched their tongues to several of Wolfee Donuts’ finest unpurchased offerings. Then, when the workers came out and presented Ariana with a fresh batch of glazed treats, she declared, “What the fuck is that? I hate Americans. I hate America!”
Unfortunately for Ariana, this strange series of events was caught on camera by Wolfee Donuts and broadcast by TMZ. The media, and even her fans, pounced. They called what she did disgusting and unpatriotic. Hard to argue with either. In one response video, a young girl named Chrissy burned a picture of Ariana atop a barbecue and said, “Say bye to your career!”