Something has been bothering me about the Don Imus controversy. On the surface, it’s a case where a mistake was made, and after that, everyone involved eventually did the right thing.
– People communicated their feelings in appropriate ways.
– Imus eventually acknowledged his mistake and apologized.
– Sponsors withdrew support for financial reasons.
– Imus’ employers listened to their employees, viewers, and sponsors, and fired Imus.
The young women on the Rutgers basketball team showed dignity and poise in a difficult situation. It was evident that they had good coaches and advisors, and they displayed a world-class grace under pressure.
So what was missing? How do you improve on a situation where, after the initial mistake, everyone seemed to do exactly the right thing?
What most impressed the world about the Rutgers athletes is the maturity of their response, and in particular how they went from a position of perceived powerless to a position of complete power through sheer force of character. It was beautiful in its way. And yet, something was missing.
Imus delivered his apology sincerely, and in person. The athletes accepted it. Days passed. Something is missing.
No reasonable person can fault the Rutgers team for the way they felt in this situation, nor the way they handled it. And nothing could have prepared them for the sort of power they acquired overnight. Their coaches and advisors had never been in this situation either. And while the athletes achieved greatness, how could any of them know how near to perfection they were? Their point had been made. The message had been delivered. What was missing?
Forgiveness.
They could have asked Imus’ employers to rehire him, and in so doing, shown the world the difference between greatness and perfection.