One of the stories in pop culture right now is the airing of the New York Times documentary “Framing Britney Spears.” I have not yet seen this film but apparently Justin Timberlake has caught serious grief as they show his handling of his break-up with Britney some twenty plus years ago.
Timberlake felt such heat that he’s now offered a public apology not just for the way he mistreated Britney Spears but also to singer Janet Jackson after the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” stunt pulled during the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime show. At the time Janet was the recipient of more scorn than Justin, despite it being he who pulled at her top and exposed the infamous bare nipple.
Here’s part of Justin Timberlake’s public mea culpa.
“I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism,” he wrote on Instagram. “I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”
He went on to say more but the bottom line is all these years later, the former N’Sync star owned up to his poor behavior and actions.
There’s plenty of apologies to be found in social media among celebrities, politicians and other folks in the public eye. Most ‘I’m sorrys’ happen within a day after the sin is committed. Now we’ve got retroactive situations like Timberlake’s that are being talked about.
Another name to take criticism recently is David Letterman. Dave’s being slammed for a 2013 interview done with Lindsay Lohan as he pressed her about substance abuse issues. Letterman made Lohan feel uncomfortable as he kept asking about her stints in rehab. This interview happened eight years ago but now people are coming out and dissecting this tense show segment which at the time was not a buzzed about story.
PERMANENT RECORDS– Remember in grade school when we were told that everything we did would end up on our “permanent record”? Thanks to video recordings and the 24 hour a day grapevine called social media, past incidents can come back to haunt anyone at any time.
The “Me Too” movement certainly got many men to re-examine their past actions with women, some of which required retroactive apologies. Three years ago, I carefully looked at my past. I was and still am confident that I committed no ‘Me Too’ sins. As women who’ve known me personally and professionally would attest, I’ve been an alright guy.
HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE MISTREATMENT THAT I NEED TO OWN UP TO. It was in the romance department when I was a senior in high school. The girl was Patty, a year older than me, very cute & sweet and we worked together at White Castle. We spent the summer of ’78 being flirty with each other and kept in touch through mailed letters when she went away to college late that summer.
That fall, Patty came home from school a couple of times for the weekend and we went out. However, my side of letter writing back to her slowed up so she sent me a ‘What’s going on here?’ note. I was cold and uncaring in my response to her and this boy-girl thing quickly died. I knew Patty was way into me, more than I was into her, and I was a jerk. Plain and simple. I’ve always been sorry for that.
A couple of co-workers who stayed in touch with Patty chided me for leading her on. They were right. I last saw Patty in the Spring of ’79 when she stopped by the Castle to visit friends still working there. She was polite in saying hi to me and I returned that with a sheepish greeting before slinking off to hide in the restroom until she left.
A few days after this meeting, I missed out on dating a girl at my high school who I really, really liked. She knew I wanted to ask her out and was receptive to that. But I waited too long to make my play and another guy moved in and shut me out. I was disappointed and hurt. I then realized how Patty felt. Too late Mick, you deserve what you get, paybacks are hell.
Fast forward nine years. I was producing morning radio at WCKG FM and one of Chicago’s many P.R. reps brought in an on-air guest. I knew this rep casually and while she and I talked and shared about our backgrounds I learned we both knew Patty from White Castle. This P.R. rep was pals with Patty in high school and still stayed in touch with her!
I mentioned I wasn’t nice to her longtime friend and felt bad for my actions. Then this exchange happened.
Me– “So how’s Patty doing these days?”
P.R. Rep– “She’s happily married and has a little boy.”
Me- ”That’s great to hear. (laughing) Apparently she got over me!”
P.R. Rep– “Maybe. Patty named her son ‘Mickey.’
Whoa! O.K. then.
I have no idea where Patty is today. There’s no need to search her out. Still, if I ever saw her again, I would state my most sincere apology.
And if it’s any consolation to her, when it comes to relationships with women, I’ve had more misses than hits. Sometimes I wonder if I’m still paying penance for being a careless clod to a nice young lady all those years ago.
Permanent record folks. Always keep that in mind and act accordingly.
Readers, I’ve got about 20 blogs written that aren’t time sensitive, but I’m going to take some time off from editing and posting them. There’s other writing I want to focus on. See you on down the line.