After getting slammed with a wave of criticism, comedian Steve Harvey has issued something resembling an apology over jokes about Asian men he made on his talk show. Actually, he issued a picture of an apology.
Also, it wasn't actually an apology.
As you've probably heard by now, the host of the Steve Harvey Show recently made joking comments disparaging Asian men. It was supposed to be a segment about stupid books -- i.e. How to Date a White Woman: A Practical Guide for Asian Men -- but Harvey devoted much of the time gleefully mocking the seemingly outrageous notion that anyone, white or otherwise, would want to go out with an Asian men.
The segment drew the ire of folks across the community, with even New York's Asian American elected officials speaking out and demanding that Harvey retract his comments and make a public apology.
On Tuesday, Harvey tweeted out his "humblest apology":
Wanted to share this today. pic.twitter.com/mpKGBZic5k
— Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) January 17, 2017
"I offer my humblest apology for offending anyone, particularly those in the Asian community, last week. It was not my intention and the humor was not meant with any malice or disrespect whatsoever."
This is not an apology. This statement places the issue on "those in the Asian community" who had a problem with what he said -- not on what he actually said. At best, this is a statement expressing regret for how we interpreted his words. It does not address or take responsibility for his comments, and attempts to refocus the issue on his intent. According to Steve, we're the ones who got it wrong.
How hard is it to simply say, "I apologize for what I said. I was wrong"?
You may have also heard that on Friday, Harvey made headlines after meeting with, for some fucking reason, Donald Trump. Because Steve Harvey seems like the kind of guy who really gets federal policy. After the meeting, while speaking with the press, Harvey made reference to the controversy over his comments.
"I ain't been laughing that much over the past few days," Mr. Harvey said. "They're kind of beating me up on the internet right now for no reason. But, you know, that's life, ain't it?"
"For no reason"? That doesn't sound like someone who has any clue why his comments were upsetting. So, no thanks to your non-apologies to the "Asian community." You can keep your weak-ass "sorry-you-were-offended" statements and go on making a fool out of yourself. Also, learn how to crop images on your phone.
