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24 painfully accurate examples of apologizing like a man

Over the years, men have perfected the art of saying sorry without actually apologizing.

Cover Image Source: Getty Images (representative)

It's a truth and hypermasculine trope as old as time: most men have a hard time with the "s" word. While women tend to apologize for anything and everything that happens under the sun, like President Donald Trump (someone who's been both celebrated and ridiculed for never apologizing), men favor an "it is what it is" attitude in most situations. And no, I'm not trying to propagate a sexist stereotype, even science says its a gender thing. "Men tend to view apologies as humiliating and a loss of face," divorce mediator Sam Margulies, Ph.D., wrote for Psychology Today.

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"Scholars of gender communication have observed that for men, verbal communication is tied up with their concern for the way their status is perceived by others," Margulies continued. "Men are more conscious of the impact of what they say on how others perceive their power position or lack of power. So, for a man to acknowledge that he has done something wrong, it often means that he feels diminished in the eyes of those who hear the apology." In what might be an attempt to maintain this power dynamic, over the years men have perfected the art of saying sorry without actually apologizing. Or in some cases, ignoring the smoking gun for a certain period of time they deem enough for the other person to forget their misdeeds.

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This behavior is apparent in the responses received by Twitter user Arthur Fairley Jr. when he put out this tweet: 

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Here are 24 painfully relatable responses to Fairley Jr.'s tweet:

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