Every day I have to fight through crowds of tourists preoccupied with their maps and cameras, in order to get to school and work. The other day I was leaving my apartment and stepped out onto the sidewalk, cautious of the crowd but still managed to have a run-in with a Freedom Trail tour. I apologized even though it wasn't exactly my fault, but then received no apology in return. Granted, they may have not spoken English, but it was still rude that the follow-up was a disgusted face.
Recently I came across a video on Elite Daily that said women apologize more than men do and why it becomes a bad habit. I never thought that a specific gender would feel more guilty than the other but I also don´t disagree with the statement. As a female, if I collide with a man on the street, most of the time it´s because I expected the man to move out of the way, but I´m always the one to say sorry. The problem with saying sorry is that there isn´t always a reason to and there could be better things to say or better ways to express your true feelings.
When apologizing is not necessary, the other person could feel annoyed or aggravated because that was not the response they wanted. For instance, if you came home from a long day at work to your roommate is doing the dishes she left out, saying "Sorry I forgot to do them" that doesn't sound sincere. Instead, telling him or her thank you and expressing appreciation is probably better in the long run. Saying sorry to someone after getting into a fight and saying things you don´t mean is fine and dandy after the first time, but multiple fights later and the word loses its genuine meaning. Always apologizing for your bad behavior isn't good and eventually doesn't work.
Many of us are victim of the unapologetic apology. The knee-jerk reaction is common word vomit that can sometimes cause us more problems than where we started off at. So it´s time we stop apologizing because it´s becoming ineffective. So channel your inner Beyonce and next time you make a mistake say "I ain't sorry."
