President Gay's apology

Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, is under fire for testifying before Congress that whether calls for the genocide of Jews constitute harassment under university policy depends on the context. Liz Magill, her fellow Ivy League president, has resigned for taking the same position.

To minimize her chances of being sacked, Gay has invoked woke clichés she hopes will get her off the hook. She said this:

I’m sorry

Words matter. When words amplify distress and pain, I don't know how you could feel anything but regret.

This resembles statements in which the speaker apologizes not for the content of a dubious utterance, but for the pain it caused. It’s lame.