"I Made a Mistake"

[Mustang Sally]

”When you’re young, you make mistakes,” Washington said Thursday. “I wish I could take back some of the mistakes I may have made, but I can’t.”
--Ron Washington

My problem with that quote is the word “mistake.” The dictionary definition of the word calls it: (1)An error or fault (2)A misconception or misunderstanding.

What Ron Washington did was not a "mistake;" it was a deliberate action that broke the law and put him in jeopardy of losing his job (since he knew he would be tested for this). There’s certainly been enough spoken and written about taking drugs for Washington to know this and it’s ridiculous for him to claim that doing it was merely a “mistake” on his part. Instead, he broke the law and tried to keep it from everyone. That’s not a “mistake.”


Consider the same claim from other famous people:

Donte Stallworth: “I made a mistake.”
His “mistake” was getting drunk and driving, leading him to a DUI Manslaughter conviction when he killed a pedestrian. That’s not a “mistake.”

Marion Jones: “I made a mistake.”
Her “mistake” was taking illegal substances to further her track and field career. In addition to lying to authorities when subpoenaed, she made the further “mistake” of going on the Barbara Walters program to assure the world that she hadn’t done what she later admitted doing. That’s not a “mistake,” that’s a deliberate lie. Two of them, in fact.

John Edwards: “I made a mistake.”
His “mistake” was taking a mistress and fathering a child with her as his wife was going through cancer treatments…..all this happening as he was running for President of the U.S. and holding himself up as a paragon of family virtues. That was his “mistake.” Ugh.


Yes, I can understand that a celebrity’s public relations people want their clients to refer to these transgressions as “mistakes.” After all, we’re supposed to be guided by the whole “To err is human; to forgive is divine” mantra; since all human beings make mistakes, we can surely forgive these people theirs.


The problem is in the definition of what a "mistake" actually is. To me, a “mistake” can consist of the following:

--If you enter incorrect numbers on an adding machine and wind up with an incorrect total……that’s a mistake.

--If you’re working retail and unintentionally make change for a $10 bill for a customer who gave you a $20 bill……that’s a mistake.

--If you unintentionally drive in the wrong direction down a one-way street, that’s a mistake……..one with potentially lethal consequences, but a mistake just the same.


There are probably a great many of us who are fooled into thinking that a lot of the crimes and other wrongdoings being admitted to are nothing more than “mistakes.” The celebrity is coached to admit to a “mistake” rather than admitting the more serious (and intentional) nature of what he(she) did. It reminds me of Mark McGwire admitting to the “mistake” of taking steroids, not to aid his batting performance, but rather to help him recover from health problems. It’s outrageous that the public would accept this PR stunt as “coming clean,” but the fact is that the limited admission got him over the crisis, didn’t it?

The problem is that all these people are admitting to “mistakes” (which, after all, we all make)……and it covers up the more serious and deliberate nature of what they did.

And, too often, we buy it.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The way I see it is this.... If someone does something wrong and they legitimately feel bad for doing it, then it's a mistake. If they just call it a mistake in order to get better publicity, but aren't truly "sorry" for what they did, then it's not a mistake. Also.... "mistakes" and "crimes" are two completely different things. Someone can commit a crime and claim it was just a mistake, but it's still a crime regardless of whether the person called it a mistake or not. Mistake or not, the crime still happened. Also, if someone knew it was against the law when they did what they did, then it's not a mistake. Accidents and things you do not do on purpose, those are true "mistakes" because the person messed up and did not mean to.

I agree with most of what you said, Sally. Calling something a mistake does not cover up the true nature of what happened, and I think that a "mistake" is only truly a mistake when the person is truly feeling bad about what they did. People should admit their mistakes when they do something wrong and truly mean it when they say "I'm sorry, I made a mistake" because it's the right thing to do as a human being, not because it might get you better publicity.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Also, if someone knew it was against the law when they did what they did, then it's not a mistake.

An interesting contrast, D.D. You're making the point in a different way. Whereas I see the "mistake" from the point of view of the outsiders who are examining it, you see it as an "inward" process; in other words, having the person who made the "mistake" use his own conscience in determining his motives and subsequent behavior.

Good thinking.

 

[Remix]

My problem with that quote is the word “mistake.” The dictionary definition of the word calls it: (1)An error or fault (2)A misconception or misunderstanding.

What Ron Washington did was not a "mistake;" it was a deliberate action that broke the law and put him in jeopardy of losing his job (since he knew he would be tested for this). There’s certainly been enough spoken and written about taking drugs for Washington to know this and it’s ridiculous for him to claim that doing it was merely a “mistake” on his part. Instead, he broke the law and tried to keep it from everyone. That’s not a “mistake.”

By your definition, that's a mistake. He decided to break the law. He made an error in doing so, therefore it was a mistake. Him 'brushing it off' as a mistake had nothing to do with whether or not it was a mistake. It's him saying 'I took drugs and lied about it. I shouldn't have done this and I was wrong to do so.' or to put it in terms that make it fit the definition, he made an error of judgement. If he'd claimed it was an accident, or that it wasnt his fault, or any other way of avoiding responsibility, then you'd have a point. his 'mistake' fits the first definition exactly.

Consider the same claim from other famous people:

Donte Stallworth: “I made a mistake.”
His “mistake” was getting drunk and driving, leading him to a DUI Manslaughter conviction when he killed a pedestrian. That’s not a “mistake.”

Yes it is. He made the error of getting behind the wheel while over the limit. That means he made a mistake. Doesnt stop him being an idiot who had no right to be behind the wheel in that condition.

Marion Jones: “I made a mistake.”
Her “mistake” was taking illegal substances to further her track and field career. In addition to lying to authorities when subpoenaed, she made the further “mistake” of going on the Barbara Walters program to assure the world that she hadn’t done what she later admitted doing. That’s not a “mistake,” that’s a deliberate lie. Two of them, in fact.

Actually, doing that would be a mistake. In taking drugs and lieing about it, she was in the wrong. She's admiting that she was wrong, shouldn't have done it. She made a mistake.

John Edwards: “I made a mistake.”
His “mistake” was taking a mistress and fathering a child with her as his wife was going through cancer treatments…..all this happening as he was running for President of the U.S. and holding himself up as a paragon of family virtues. That was his “mistake.” Ugh.

Ok, the man's a slimeball. However, he made an error, is admiting that he did so, and that makes his actions a mistake by definition.

Yes, I can understand that a celebrity’s public relations people want their clients to refer to these transgressions as “mistakes.” After all, we’re supposed to be guided by the whole “To err is human; to forgive is divine” mantra; since all human beings make mistakes, we can surely forgive these people theirs.

you nailed it here. Their publicists want them to look good. Saying that they made a mistake sounds relatable and is more likely to result in forgiveness than using the more 'clinical' error or a synonym. It however doesnt make a damn bit of difference about whether their actions are a mistake or not. If they're accepting responsibility for their wrongful actions, they are admiting they're making a mistake. If they're commiting wrongful actions they are making a mistake whether they know it or not.

The problem is in the definition of what a "mistake" actually is. To me, a “mistake” can consist of the following:

--If you enter incorrect numbers on an adding machine and wind up with an incorrect total……that’s a mistake.

yes it would be. How about if you're a pharmacist calculating a dose for an extemperaneously prepared substance, press the wrong button on your adding machine and end up with a lethal produst. is that still a mistake? (this has happened, by the way.)

--If you’re working retail and unintentionally make change for a $10 bill for a customer who gave you a $20 bill……that’s a mistake.

Yes it would be. What about if you're working in a pharmacy and you grab a box with either the wrong drug or wrong strength of drug and worsen your patient's conditions? Is that still a mistake? (This is the cause of most dispensing errors in a pharmacy*, by the way, by the way.)

--If you unintentionally drive in the wrong direction down a one-way street, that’s a mistake……..one with potentially lethal consequences, but a mistake just the same.

Yes it would be. What about if you're working in a pharmacy, you misread a prescription, causing you to grab the wrong drug. Would that be a mistake? (This has actually happened, by the way)

There are probably a great many of us who are fooled into thinking that a lot of the crimes and other wrongdoings being admitted to are nothing more than “mistakes.” The celebrity is coached to admit to a “mistake” rather than admitting the more serious (and intentional) nature of what he(she) did. It reminds me of Mark McGwire admitting to the “mistake” of taking steroids, not to aid his batting performance, but rather to help him recover from health problems. It’s outrageous that the public would accept this PR stunt as “coming clean,” but the fact is that the limited admission got him over the crisis, didn’t it?

He made a mistake (taking roids), then made the mistake of lying about it to cover his ass. He made a mistake in both cases. Claiming to make a mistake is admiting responsibility without looking like a bastard. That's how I see it at least.

The problem is that all these people are admitting to “mistakes” (which, after all, we all make)……and it covers up the more serious and deliberate nature of what they did.

It doesnt cover it up at all, it just means we're more liable to forgive them

And, too often, we buy it.

Which is why they use sympathetic terms to admit responsibility for their actions.

*the article linked to uses terms you may not be familiar with. In order:

• Near miss: an error was made at some point (either on the prescription, or during dispensing) which was caught and fixed before reaching the patient
• CI: abreviation for Confidence Interval, a statistical test which shows where 95% of the data would be found.
• Selection Error: The wrong product was selected from the shelves in the dispensary
• Labeling error: the wrong information was put on the label placed on a dispensed item.
• bagging error: putting the wrong stuff into the bag.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Everyone fucks up majorly at least once in their lifetime. So, in my opinion, as long as someone can learn from their wrongdoing, they should be given a second chance.

On a side note regarding John Edwards: if the protagonist of Jay McInerney's Story of My Life really is based on Edwards's baby momma, then I find it highly ironic that Edwards is such a passionate advocate for America's poor.

 

[LigerBomb]

Everyone fucks up majorly at least once in their lifetime. So, in my opinion, as long as someone can learn from their wrongdoing, they should be given a second chance.

On a side note regarding John Edwards: if the protagonist of Jay McInerney's Story of My Life really is based on Edwards's baby momma, then I find it highly ironic that Edwards is such a passionate advocate for America's poor.

What I find ironic is that I would sleep with every girl in your sig --even Tits McGee in the back-- though I don't find any of them to be attractive or know who they are. Now THAT would be a mistake.

Anyway, so as not to have this be a spam post, with regards to the OP your first definition of mistake fits the bill of what he said... you just seem to hung up on the aspects of intent and cognizance. And no I don't "buy it". What he means is I'm sorry I got caught, and I'm sorry I made the mistake of being careless enough to get caught.