Sean Combs' Bullshit Apology
When he was credibly accused of horrific acts of abuse by a horrifyingly vast number of people, men, and women alike, Sean Combs, who we no longer have to call silly names like Puff Daddy, P-Diddy, and Diddy, reacted the way powerful men usually do when they are accused of horrible crimes.
He denied everything. Even after he paid his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura an undisclosed amount rumored to be in the tens of millions of dollars to settle a lawsuit, Diddy’s people continued to insist that the massive pay-off was no sign of guilt.
Combs’ lawyer, Ben Brafman, called Ventura’s allegations “offensive" and “outrageous” and reiterated that he “vehemently denies” them.
Brafman, who undoubtedly has a suite in the bowels of hell waiting for him when he dies, insisted, “Mr. Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims. He is happy they got to a mutual settlement and wishes Ms. Ventura the best."
On Instagram, there is still a post from Combs reading, “Enough is Enough. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character and destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be clear: I did not do any of the things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family, and my truth.”
I’m surprised that the post is still up because it completely contradicts Combs’ most recent post, a video in which he “apologizes” for his misbehavior.
What changed? Why did a man who wanted the world to think that every single charge against him was blatantly false and the product of sick opportunists out for his millions just a few days ago now implore the public to forgive him?
Combs got caught on tape viciously abusing his ex-partner. That’s it. That’s the only reason why Combs issued a narcissistic, half-assed, deeply unconvincing, and insincere apology.
Combs hoped that as long as there was no incontrovertible proof that he was the monster described in various lawsuits, he could insist that he was one hundred percent innocent.
In his initial denials, Combs cannily played to the casual misogyny of a public conditioned to think that the world is full of greedy, dishonest women out to tarnish the reputations and images of powerful men and score a shit-ton of moolah by accusing them of crimes they have not committed.
Here’s the thing. Combs could ostensibly play the Shaggy card. That is, of course, a reference to R. Kelly’s first child pornography/abuse trial, when his response to the videotape of him clearly committing crimes was to insist, "It wasn’t me."
In a bizarre and deeply unfortunate development, the “It wasn’t me” defense worked. Kelly was found not guilty. He avoided legal and professional consequences for a very long time until the cultural tidal wave that was #MeToo helped put him in prison for life.
The world is, thankfully, a much different place now than it was when Kelly got off. For starters, Kelly is finally in prison and won’t be visiting the Rock and Roll McDonalds any time soon.
Powerful men can’t get away with the kind of shit that they did before, particularly when there’s clear-cut evidence of their brutality.
The Combs video made me think about Chris Brown’s horrific and very public physical abuse of Rihanna. Brown’s career was impacted, but he recovered because the abuse happened in a pre-MeToo era and because Brown was able to say that he was an abused kid when it happened and that he had grown up.
That always struck me as bullshit. Brown got off easy and still has an army of defenders ready to dismiss anyone who brings up his horrifying history of abuse as a bitter scold hung up on ancient history.
This brings us to Combs's apology, which he would not have issued if the tape of him viciously abusing Cassie had not been made public.
Combs hits all the expected beats. He notably apologizes to society for his actions in the video rather than Cassie, the woman he abused.
He notably does not acknowledge any crimes or misdeeds other than the one he cannot deny.
Combs says that he was “fucked up” when he made the video and that it represented his rock bottom.
I’m not super familiar with alcoholism or Alcoholics Anonymous, but it is my understanding that after you hit rock bottom, you realize that you have a problem and act accordingly.
You don’t hit rock bottom, then do the exact same things for the next eight years and deny that you’ve done anything wrong until there is concrete evidence that at least some of the allegations against you are true.
Combs tries to make it seem like drugs and alcohol are responsible for his actions, and now that he’s claimed that he’s gone to rehab, he’s a different, better person than he was when in the throes of drug and alcohol addiction.
Drugs and drinking do not make someone a monster, but they can exacerbate one’s monstrousness. Combs' attempts to draw a clear line between the addicted person that he was and the sober person he is now professing to be are disingenuous.
Religion being the last refuge of scoundrels Combs pretends that he's Godly now and in therapy and consequently somehow substantially different from how he he was when he was drinking and drugging. Also, the bad, evil person Combs used to be when he committed this one crime and possibly others was all about looking good, fancy clothes and make-up, whereas the real, honest, vulnerable current Combs looks like shit, just like every other sorry member of the bad apology brigade: the Miranda Sings lunatic, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis and Drew Barrymore.
Combs isn’t apologizing because he's genuinely contrite. He’s apologizing because he’s been caught and hopes that he still has enough goodwill to convince at least some of the public that he’s a good man who got caught up in a fast lifestyle and not a prolific sex criminal and domestic abuser who has been doing this for DECADES.
Nobody is buying your bullshit excuse, Combs. We saw who you are on that video. It was horrifying. That was the real Combs, not the sleazy opportunist trying to trick the public into thinking he cares about anything other than himself, his fortune, and his now hopelessly tarnished reputation.
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