Very little, very late, and mostly excuses, it seems to me. Nevertheless, more than two years later, Ingrid Newkirk uses the occasion of Yom HaShoah to apologize for PETA's "Holocaust on Your Plate" campaign.
Our mission is a profoundly human one at its heart, yet we know that we have caused pain. This was never our intention, and we are deeply sorry. We hope that you can understand that although we embarked on the "Holocaust on Your Plate" project with misconceptions about what its impact would be, we always try to act with integrity, with the goal of improving the lives of those who suffer. We hope those we upset will find it in their hearts to work toward the goal of a kinder world for all, regardless of species.
Take it away Meryl.
Update: No, actually, I didn't mean to hand this topic off, although I do believe that Meryl deserves a lot of the credit for putting the pressure on PETA that led to this extremely belated "apology." International Eat an Animal for PETA Day has developed quite a following, and Meryl started it because of this.
Right. I can't link directly to the "Holocaust on Your Plate" campaign because PETA has removed all traces of it. The ad that Meryl and I linked to back in March of 2003 has been replaced by a (relatively) sanitized, inoffensive thing about "Meet your meat." But IsraelInsider captured the spirit of the campaign with the tasteless, exploitative photo montage they posted with this article.
Was this an apology? Yes, it was, in the strictest sense (according to my ancient 1992 Random House Webster's software). It was "an expression of regret," though not "for having committed an error or rudeness" so much as for having been caught at it. It was, absolutely, "a defense or justification of a cause or doctrine." And it was, for sure, "an inferior substitute, makeshift" for what most people would consider a sincere apology. In short, it falls squarely within what I call the classic "I'm so sorry you didn't agree with me" apology.
Thanks but no thanks, Ingrid. You've scored no points here.
Another update:
QUERY: Where is PETA's so-called heartfelt apology to be found on their website????
Hint: don't bother looking -- it's not there. Not yet, anyway.
(And I'd still keep an eye on Meryl.)
