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The Way Back : Throughline Our society is saturated in apologies. They're
scripted, they're public, and they often feel less than sincere. Political,
corporate, celebrity apologies – they can all feel performed. It's not even
always clear who they're for. So what purpose do these apologies serve? Because
real apologies are not just PR stunts. Not just a way to move on. At their best,
they're about acknowledgement and accountability, healing and repair. So how did
apology go from a process to a product – and how can we make them work again?


THROUGHLINE


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THE WAY BACK

April 20, 202312:10 AM ET

By 

Rund Abdelfatah

, 

Ramtin Arablouei

, 

Devin Katayama

, 

Casey Miner

, 

Julie Caine

, 

Lawrence Wu

, 

Anya Steinberg

, 

Cristina Kim

, 

Yordanos Tesfazion

, 

Yolanda Sangweni

THE WAY BACK

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Planet Flem

Planet Flem

Our society is saturated in apologies. They're scripted, they're public, and
they often feel less than sincere. Political, corporate, celebrity apologies –
they can all feel performed. It's not even always clear who they're for. So what
purpose do these apologies serve? Because real apologies are not just PR stunts.
Not just a way to move on. At their best, they're about acknowledgement and
accountability, healing and repair. So how did apology go from a process to a
product – and how can we make them work again?


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