Saying sorry

When corporate organisations make public apologies what actually does it mean? And when the apologies are for events that happened long before the current leadership was in place what is the apology about?

The British Government apologising for its deeds in Ireland, and now the Irish hierarchical church for its behaviour to young children in industrial schools.

Last Monday I walked through the Holocaust memorial right in the heart of Berlin. It is between Potsdamer Platz and the Brandenburg Gate. It is relatively new. There are approximately 2,000 stone blocks that afford the visitor to walk deep down in the earth between the high blocks of stone. It is bare and it can be scarily horrifying.

The day I was there there were young children shouting and jumping and dancing in the place. Clearly it meant nothing to them. How could it. No, not their parents, not even their grandparents but maybe some of their great-grandparents plied their evil deeds that helped cause the holocaust.

The Germans put up their hands and say it was a Holocaust. It is written in German law that anyone who denies the Holocaust is committing a crime.

But the companies which supplied the Zyklon B to the gas chambers, the car manufactures who supplied Hitler with his top of the range vehicles, and on and on, are still in place.

When I see an Irish bishop wear a chain and cross, when I hear that Irish bishops speak to the Pope about what happened and that the Pope is moved to tears, I simply wonder.

When one reads of the 'outrage' expressed by the leading figures in society, the words written by the columnists, I wonder again.

How come the 'leaders of the day' and the 'influential people of the day' more or less always come from the same strands of society?

Where were the media to report on what went on in Buchenwald or Oranienburg or Goldenbridge or Artane?

Why did we let it happen? Why do we allow it happen?

Is it that we always and forever give too much obeisance to those in power. There seems always to be a sufficient number of people who want to 'get on' no matter what the price.

How come an editor will never criticise his or her owner, a CEO will never ask dangerous questions about the firm in public or a bishop challenge the very method used to appoint him?

Survival is the name of the game. And none of us likes to be disturbed. The higher up the ladder the more scared the feeling of rejection.