The Art of the Apology

摘要

Community relations at its best doesn't fix problems; it avoids them. Still, we spend a lot of time doing damage control. In the ancient study of rhetoric defending oneself is considered half of a speech set called kategoria and apologia. The kategoria is an attack on character, and the apologia is the defense of character. Communication in the 21st century is much more complicated than it was in the golden age of Greece where attacks on character were limited to speeches given at forums and to passers by in the street. In our world news stories, blog entries, and videos recorded on cell phones and posted on YouTube can all constitute an attack on the character of a person or an organization. If you want to see a complete selection of contemporary kategoria, just Google the words "Toronto" and "mayor." This guy's detractors make angry quarry neighbors look like a welcome committee.