If conservatives want to keep winning, they need to stop apologizing whenever the left gets their collective feelings hurt due to hearing opinions they don’t like. Sure, it may seem like an appropriate response to the left’s manufactured outrage apparatus, but saying you’re sorry for offending people who are addicted to being offended is like offering a crack pipe to a junkie.

In the past, apologies were a way to acknowledge wrongdoing on one’s part, a way to express remorse for a misstep or harshly-spoken word. A famous individual would issue an apology after making an offensive comment or engaging in immoral behavior, and then the people would decide whether or not they would offer forgiveness. But now, apologies have taken on a new meaning in the realm of culture and politics.

Over the past few years, what would be seen as a remorseful mea culpa has transformed into a political objective, a means of getting your political opponent to back down and acquiesce to the other side. In today’s outrage culture, apologies are no longer overtures to people who may have been wrong. Instead, they are a sign of defeat. This cultural phenomenon can be seen in a recent story about a CBS reporter who resigned after expressing a point of view that contradicted progressive dogma.

CBS Reporter Resigns After Pro-Kavanaugh Post

Kris Long, a California broadcast journalist with CBS affiliate KESQ-TV was pressured into resigning after he wrote a Facebook post defending then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh against sexual assault allegations.

In the post, Long stated that “few things are more serious than rape,” but that Ford’s accusations seemed to be “political maneuvering.” The journalist acknowledged the importance of the #MeToo movement, but stated that the behavior of which Kavanaugh was accused amounted to “lesser miscreant behavior.”

“You are beyond dreaming if you think 17-year-old boys are not going to misbehave from time to time as they begin to attempt relationships with the opposite sex,” he wrote. “That is just the way we animals are made!”

After receiving a number of comments — both positive and negative — the station decided to take Long off the air. Some of the station’s viewers slammed the station for removing him from their broadcasts.

At first, Long defended his comments, but later, he decided to delete the post and apologize. “I wish I hadn’t written (the post) because it’s caused me a lot of headache,” he wrote. “This is a sensitive and controversial subject and I apologize for any offense that this has caused.”

Later in the week, Long submitted his resignation. In a written statement, he said: “I want to thank those who have offered support and apologize again for any I may have offended. I hope to return to the news business in the future.”

Conservatives Shouldn’t Appease The Left

The situation with Kris Long is just the latest in a series of stories in which individuals who express disagreement with the left are bludgeoned into apologizing for their remarks. When a well-known individual expresses an opinion that runs counter to leftism, progressives will turn out in full force to cow the person into submission. The apology has now become tantamount to waving the white flag. The words “I’m sorry” can now be translated as “I surrender.”

For this reason, conservatives should not be quick to apologize if they make a statement that offends our overly-sensitive friends on the left. Right-leaning Americans cannot be held responsible for the feelings of those who can’t handle opposing views. Besides, how often do you see progressives apologize for the disgusting comments they make about everyone else?

In many cases, the left’s outrage is both unfounded and disingenuous. It is nothing more than a political weapon designed to silence those who oppose their ideology. Instead, conservatives would be wise to call attention to the left’s often false indignation and expose their true intentions.

Of course, this isn’t to say that apologies or clarification is never warranted. After all, everyone makes mistakes, right? If an individual spends a significant amount of time in front of a camera, it is inevitable that they will misspeak. Only in these situations would it be appropriate to issue an apology and then quickly move on without giving the left more ammo. When the left brandishes their outrage cudgel, it’s better to push back than surrender.