Jason Alexander’s Apology – Best Ever

Last week, the actor Jason Alexander, probably most famous for playing George on “Seinfeld”, made a few comments on The Late Show with Craig Ferguson that had many in the gay community upset.  To read about the incident and see a video clip, check out towleroad.com.  I try not to include negative material here, so I decided not to mention it.  But then I read his apology.  And what an apology it was.

It seems like every few weeks, someone famous makes some comment that can be taken offensively.  The apologies are usually half-hearted “non apologies” that say they didn’t mean to offend anyone, so people shouldn’t be offended.

Really?  I shouldn’t be offended because you say I shouldn’t?  So many times in my life I’ve heard people exclaim, “He’s too sensitive!”  I heard it in grade school when someone would make a  racist remark and one of the few black would get upset.  “Don’t be so sensitive!”  When my friend Mark, who was intellectually challenged got upset because someone called him “retard”, he was just “being sensitive.”  Or when my husband asked a friend to stop using the term “gay” pejoratively, he was told, “You are way too sensitive, lighten up.”

Doesn’t it seem like the privileged (that is white, straight males)  are always concerned that the people they are ridiculing are too sensitive (racial minorities, the disabled, women, gays)?

Well Mr. Alexander didn’t say the gay community was  too sensitive.  He pointedly and eloquently apologized and then went on to say why it was so important that he do so.  Below is just a small excerpt.  Read the entire apology here.

For these [gay] people, my building a joke upon the premise I did added to the pejorative stereotype that they are forced to deal with everyday. It is at the very heart of this whole ugly world of bullying that has been getting rightful and overdue attention in the media. And with my well-intentioned comedy bit, I played right into those hurtful assumptions and diminishments.

Hats off to Jason Alexander – too few people own their mistakes, and far fewer make amends so well.