Where are all the public “mea culpas,” the public apologies from all the people who got it wrong so many times in domestic policy and foreign affairs? These individuals who are supposed to know better (or even best) got it wrong about the wars in the Middle East, the coronavirus, and the economy, among others. Why is that? I continue to wonder.

A Bit Of Context

Mea culpa is Latin for my fault. Simply put, it means something was my fault. It is an admission of responsibility for having done something egregiously wrong, whether on purpose or unintended. 

In Our Private Lives

In our private lives, most of us, meet the demands of courtesy by taking responsibility for the mistakes we make in our business and family relationships. In the parlance of today, we own our mistakes or missteps. We do this by apologizing to the person we have wronged or for the mistake we made. We say we are sorry and ask for forgiveness for hurting feelings or doing an injustice.

In The Public Arena

Not so in public life or in the more visible elements of our society, such as the reporting in newspapers, the talking heads in the mainstream media, or the legislation that is initiated and passed by our elected representatives. And, for that latter point, it does not matter what party is in power and is making the political mistakes. Both sides are guilty.

I have yet to hear in my more than 50 years of listening to public voices from all sources, any of the following phrases: “I was wrong on that issue.” Or “I got that wrong.” Or “I made a mistake.”  Or just “I was wrong.” And, the more egregious the mistake, the less we hear. Not a peep from anyone. Mum’s the word all around.

Public Accountability Is A Big Deal And Should Be

Public accountability is a big deal, especially in government. Most of us get the concept wrong though. Accountability is a complex subject.  It has to run the gamut from a simple apology to We the People for mistakes and misjudgments all the way to stepping down or resigning in disgrace. The Greeks were even more punitive; they would banish the offender to a far-off place, never to return under the threat of death. The Greeks took their republics seriously.

We do not have to go that far, but resignation from public office and being prohibited from ever serving again would be nice. If more public servants, elected officials, and others were held accountable in the correct way, maybe, just maybe, things would turn around.

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Cordially,

Andrew J Guinosso

Links

External:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-guinosso-7687177/

Internal:  https://whitebeardwisdom.com/orwells-1984-he-knew-what-but-not-when/