BTS, Ronda Rousey, and the Timing of Apologies
Hello from Canada, the land of sorry! I’m here to visit some relatives and for my family’s annual trek to the Toronto International Film Festival.
I’ve seen eleven films so far — GRAND TOUR, BONJOUR TRISTESSE, THE PENGUIN LESSONS, THE QUIET ONES, HARD TRUTHS, WE LIVE IN TIME, ALL OF YOU, THE RETURN, RELAY, NIGHTBITCH, and ON SWIFT HORSES. It’s been a good crop compared to last, and I’ve still got six more to go. You can read and like my glib one-liner reviews on Letterboxd here. After the festival, I’ll send out my dad’s more sincere and in-depth criticism, along with my commentary, if I get his permission.
One accidental theme across these films connects directly to this week’s column: the inescapable importance of timing. Whether it’s bank robbers getting caught going back for one last cash grab, lovers who just missed each other at the secret gay 1950s club, a mother with cancer deciding how to spend her time, Odysseus coming home a decade too late, or a cute penguin movie taking place during 1970s fascist Argentina (??), the when and how are so intertwined when it comes to results as to be inseparable.
That’s what fascinated me when I read both Suga’s and Ronda Rousey’s recent apologies. They both had to apologize again after rushing their first apologies. The pop star took a couple more days to get it right, the fighter eleven years. Both did better the second time, and in fact I found Rousey’s apology quite moving.
Click through to see why!
Sorry Not Sorry: BTS, Ronda Rousey, and the Timing of Apologies - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
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 h...
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