The late scholar, Robert Solomon, had a list of 33 admirable characteristics of those who are really trying to live the ethical way, or as it was known in days of yore, the examined life. The list was published in his book, A Better Way To Think About Business. Two of the qualities were “caring” and “graciousness.” President-elect Obama, in his first news conference, was asked if he had spoken to the living presidents.  Mr. Obama laughed and joked with the press, “I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing seances.” The press was giddy with a glee the Barometer heard even over the AM car radio. The laughter was just plain mean, not a Solomon quality. Mr. Obama called Mrs. Reagan, the 87-year-old widow of our former president who is recovering from a broken hip, to apologize. The remark was pointless, cruel, and wrong. Mrs. Hillary Clinton was the one doing the seances with Eleanor Roosevelt. Mrs. Reagan loved astrology, but stayed away from the dead. Mr. Obama’s off-the-cuff remark was uncaring and ungracious. His apology remedied his gaffe.Â
However, those in the room who laughed and who overlooked the factual inaccuracy, our Fourth Estate, also owe an apology to Mrs. Reagan. They remain uncaring, ungracious, and inaccurate in their failure to report the error of the gaffe. Gaffes, complete with errors, received prime-time coverage for the past eight years. The Fourth Estate owes us the same for the next four.   And, it wouldn’t hurt for all of them to send Mrs. Reagan a note of apology. The media in the room fell victim to one of our all-too-frequent flaws: laughing with the crowd at something that did not deserve a chuckle. There’s a group think mentality that takes over with a comment that, while witty, is just mean. We all laugh our wickedest laughs, but later regret that enjoyment at someone else’s expense. And when we enjoyed it as someone else’s expense by way of error, our culpability is compounded. Graciousness demands an apology to the maligned when we have laughed thoughtlessly or in error. The Barometer offers to publish the names and notes of those who do so.Â
