The mob can only do this if your apologies mean nothing. A good rule of thumb if someone's apologies mean nothing is, if they apologize every time, they don't mean it. Your apologies only mean something if you apologize when you know you were wrong.
So this tactic doesn't work if you only apologize when you mean it. If someone says "you stepped on my shoes" and you apologize, and then they say "you're a racist for stepping on my shoes" and you tell them to go fuck themselves, you'll never wind up in this situation, because you only apologize from the heart and not as a way to avoid problems or as a default stance when getting accosted.
Apologize. Only when you know you're wrong. Don't always apologize. Sometimes, you weren't wrong, and when someone insists that you say you were anyway, tell them to go fuck themselves.
Nah, Justine Sacco clearly meant it. She was not trying to hurt people. It didn't stop anyone. It doesn't matter what you mean. It's a bunch of sad, mean people seeking to hurt others. Better to not apologize. If you were wrong, do better next time.
I'd apologize to my wife, my friends, my colleagues. To randos on the Internet? Let them rage.
The mob can only do this if your apologies mean nothing. A good rule of thumb if someone's apologies mean nothing is, if they apologize every time, they don't mean it. Your apologies only mean something if you apologize when you know you were wrong.
So this tactic doesn't work if you only apologize when you mean it. If someone says "you stepped on my shoes" and you apologize, and then they say "you're a racist for stepping on my shoes" and you tell them to go fuck themselves, you'll never wind up in this situation, because you only apologize from the heart and not as a way to avoid problems or as a default stance when getting accosted.
Apologize. Only when you know you're wrong. Don't always apologize. Sometimes, you weren't wrong, and when someone insists that you say you were anyway, tell them to go fuck themselves.