Politicians can make mistakes. People should be allowed to evolve. But first, they have to say they were sorry.
The act of atoning may be difficult and complicated, but the concept is simple enough: You did something bad and it caused harm. A basic sense of decency urges you to take measures to, at worst, express how sorry you are, and at best, do something to right the wrong.
On the other side of atonement, we find forgiveness. One does not happen without the other. History has shown us that both of these acts are difficult, and yet both are necessary to maintain a cooperative and functioning society.
I know a few things about mistakes and second chances. As a formerly incarcerated youth and high school dropout, when I decided to run for a state legislative seat, I needed my community to know that not only was I sorry for the many transgressions of my young adult life, but also that I had taken those experiences and learned from them. I learned to treat my mistakes not as points of shame, but as opportunities for growth. It’s those experiences with tough moments that inform my approach to accountability today, and why I believe it matters that people acknowledge when they do wrong.
The #MeToo movement wasn’t just a flash in the pan. It marked a profound tectonic shift toward continued female empowerment and self-realization that’s still evolving, and the ongoing rumbling continues to cause all kinds of discomfort.
After centuries of oppression, subjugation, and dehumanization, women finally began finding their individual voices in the security of a collective chorus. We tapped into a newfound power that, first and foremost, demanded accountability, and the offenders were plentiful and easy to spot. The worst of the worst were forced out of their systemic fortresses of protection. Rapists, sexual assaulters, sexual harassers — villains who refused to acknowledge their actions, much less atone for their behavior. Powerful, rich, and famous men who acted with impunity, some for decades, were finally brought to some version of justice.
And then there was Joe Biden.
Not a villain. Not an unlikable person. Not a sexual harasser or assaulter. But also, as Anita Hill recently found out, not exactly sorry, either.
