Tiger Woods is back on the golf course after dealing with horrific injuries for several years. He’s apparently hit some kind of form at the Genesis Open in Pacific Palisades. On Thursday, Tiger hit a “blistered a 323-yard drive” past his good friend and fellow pro golfer Justin Thomas. After the drive, Tiger walked towards Thomas and slid something in his hand. Thomas dropped the object quickly when he saw what it was, and Tiger put his arm around Thomas as the two men presumably laughed and teased each other. What was the object? A tampon. Get it? Because Tiger Woods is more manly than Justin Thomas. Because menstruation is a “joke.” Because women are a joke, and there’s nothing worse than being a woman who menstruates.
Tiger Woods had a gift for Justin Thomas after driving it past him on number nine.
(via @GettyImages) pic.twitter.com/HXZEQSAhEU
— Rick Gehman (@RickRunGood) February 17, 2023
@NoLayingUp @TronCarterNLU @ngschuNLU @DJPie @SportsSturm Tiger out drives Rory and JT. Am I crazy for thinking this is Tiger handing JT a tampon right after? pic.twitter.com/eevKsvDgXf
— conrad steele (@cnrdstl) February 16, 2023
Condemnation for Tiger came swiftly – more swiftly than I would have predicted. The photos and the video clip went viral immediately, so much so that when Tiger sat down to do media on Friday, he gave a half-assed apology then and there:
Following Friday’s second round at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, Woods said he didn’t mean to offend anyone.
“It was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn’t turned out that way,” Woods told reporters. “If I offended anybody, it was not the case, it was just friends having fun. As I said, if I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I’m sorry. It was not intended to be that way. It was just we play pranks on one another all the time and virally I think this did not come across that way, but between us it was – it’s different.”
Woods handed Thomas a tampon after outdriving his playing partner on the ninth hole. Thomas immediately discarded the tampon before the two men laughed and hugged as they walked off the tee. Some on social media said the incident had sexist overtones, while England women’s soccer manager Sarina Wiegman told reporters Saturday: “It is very inappropriate, and I think he has realized that.”
“If tiger spent three months a year bleeding and coping with period pain, they’d make a whole-ass documentary about how champions overcome insurmountable obstacles,” Alex McDaniel, managing editor of USA Today’s For The Win, tweeted on Friday.
What I keep thinking about is… Tiger has a teenage daughter, Sam. Sam is 15 years old. Does her dad think it’s a hilarious burn to hand her a tampon too? I get that men – bros – have a different kind of humor with one another, but jeez, this was terrible. Tiger did it in public, this wasn’t some kind of private situation. Tiger had dozens (if not hundreds) of cameras on him at that moment and he decided to do it anyway.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Tennis – US Open 2019 – Tiger Woods – USA TENNIS : Us open 2019 – USA – 03/09/2019,Image: 537048958, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chryslene Caillaud / Panoramic / Avalon
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- Tiger Woods at the ‘Tiger is Back’ workshop at Meiji University. Tokyo, 20.10.2019 | usage worldwide,Image: 539845185, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: UK and US ONLY – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kento Nara/Geisler-Fotopress / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
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- Tiger Woods at a panel at the Nike Harajuku Store. Tokyo, 20.10.2019 | usage worldwide,Image: 539845196, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: UK and US ONLY – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kento Nara/Geisler-Fotopress / DPA Picture Alliance / Avalon
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- Tiger Woods attending Serena Williams (USA) defeated Anett Kontaveit,Image: 718227726, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic / Panoramic / Avalon
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- United States President Donald J. Trump looks as Tiger Woods speaks after he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 6, 2019 in Washington, DC. Credit: Oliver Contreras / Pool via CNP | usage worldwide
This to me screams high school boys, taking some cotton and card/plastic and daring each other to touch it because EWWWW.
Focussing on the positives, he is being roundly called out (and I hope one of the women in his life talks to him, as while his actions are not their responsibility he doesn’t yet seem to quite understand the issue), and peoples attitudes are being challenged. I’m sure there are a lot of men (and women) out there who still think menstrual products are ‘gross’. Sigh.
And also his friend who dropped it on the ground. Look at your maturity/reaction there. He was caught off guard but his reaction is also part of the conversation.
“And also his friend who dropped it on the ground.” Seriously. The “joke” would have gone nowhere if that guy hadn’t bought into it.
Yes this was totally immature. But why is it any or our business. It was a moment between these two guys. And had nothing to do with you or anyone else. Again yes it was childish. But so what. Instead of worrying about a stupid joke go out and help some women who actually need the help.
It was deeply misogynistic. As a woman, it does have something to do with me. When the very concept of womanhood and all that goes with it is openly mocked and denigrated by someone in the public sphere, it sets back all women everywhere. And that’s why we’re talking about it.
It became our business when multiple cameras at a public sporting event captured the moment for our viewing pleasure. These pros know that, but I’m thinking Tiger has survived so many straight-up losses in the public/PR sphere that he just doesn’t care about keeping up any type of image. He’ll still make some sponsorship money.
@Robert, actually helping us would be to NOT make this kind of joke in public or private. I’m sure not one woman in the audience thought it was funny. At this stage, it’s not just immaturity. It’s misogyny, and I’m glad we’re calling it out.
It’s our business because he was on camera throughout the golf tournament, televised to who knows how many people–most of them undoubtedly men– making this a public act of ‘bro’ culture, aka toxic masculinity. It’s publicly ridiculing all people who menstruate.
Oh dear @robert phillips…clearly you need to think a little deeper here. This is called mysogony. It’s when people, like you, tell women to relax and laugh when women are being belittled or mocked. It’s everyone’s business.
It’s our concern because men have majority power to make decisions about women’s healthcare, and these two a*holes can’t even handle an unused, still wrapped, tampon without laughing or recoiling in horror. If men can’t even handle a clean tampon, how are they going to handle the life and death health issues like gyneological cancers, reproduction plans, childbirth, infertility treatments, and gender affirming care, etc?
Oh, Robert. Your time would be better spent in a library.
This reminds me of Trump’s grab ‘‘em by the p#ssy moment. Gross & immature.
it’s MY business, because I am sick and tired of being treated like a second class citizen. have a seat, Robert, and listen to what women are saying.
@Rober Phillips: I don’t want to pile on, but the kind of attitude displayed by Tiger and his friend (“ick” “eww” “yucky girl stuff”) is what keeps many young girls out of school in some countries because they are forbidden to attend school during their periods. So, they miss the lessons their peers are being taught simply because of a mere biological function. I’m not saying that Tiger Woods is responsible for that aspect of misogyny, but his attitude is shared by the same people who deny girls an education for doing nothing worse than having a period. I don’t find that to be just a childish prank.
Hi Robert Phillips – Since you understand the “stupid joke” please explain it to me. Also please clarify – sounds like you think it is somehow related to “some women” who need help, like what exactly? Cuz I don’t get it.
And golf events televised for public consumption are done to claim our attention, i.e. making it our business..
Hi Robert Phillips – Since you understand the “stupid joke” please explain it to me. Also please clarify – sounds like you think it is somehow related to “some women” who need help, like what exactly? Cuz I don’t get it. Also, golf events televised for public consumption are done to claim our attention, i.e. making it our business.
I pretty sure Tigers tack record and attitudes speaks for it self. No one would look to him for moral guidance why would you expect him to behave otherwise?
Regarding the friend dropping it as part of the problem: to be fair, Tiger cheated on his wife with like a gazillion women, so I might have dropped it too.
Once a sleezeball, always a sleezeball.
Exactly. He’s a low life, sleazy, cheap, tacky, permanently 20, frat bro-type… This incident is just more evidence money can’t buy class or a real world education.
He looks awful; his face is all blotchy & puffy. I don’t think he’s well
Yeah, no. That was not an apology. It was one of those, “If anyone was offended” non-apologies. He sounded like HE was offended that people didn’t like his “fun and games” joke. Btw, he knew it was wrong or he wouldn’t have been so cagey in the hand off. Tiger Woods is a great golfer, maybe the best who’s ever lived. But is that any reason for people to fawn all over him? He was raised to do one thing well and one thing only, but in his personal life, he’s been problematic for a long time. All the golf writers were back to adoring him after his non-apology. This society is truly screwed up in its values and priorities.
Your comment is spot on.
Woods is an overgrown frat boy who has zero sensitivity to women. One commenter pointed out that his daughter is now 15; I can only imagine how mortified-and insulted-she must have felt.
I think his karma is catching up to him; albeit not as quickly as he deserves.
I am not a woman and of course I don’t menstruate but I were I would be insulted about menstruation jokes. I remember my poor sister when she was having cramps as a teenager. Women suffer a lot every 30 days because their period drains all the hormones out of them and they feel like crap. PMS jokes are the worst. That being said I do remember a co-worker telling me that she hated men because they don’t get a period and she was in a bad mood for a couple days. After I went to college and I learned about menstruation in Anatomy and Physiology class I became more sensitive to their pain and suffering.
You don’t have to be a woman to be offended by sexism. Or Black to be offended by racism. Or old to be offended by ageism. Or able-bodied to be offended by ableism. You get my point.
Yep, all of that.
Man who is a serial cheater is a misogynist, news at 11.
Exactly this. He’s always been an AH
And he’s always been cosseted and protected like some kind of demi-god. There is simply no way any ordinary person who had just wrecked their vehicle and themselves in a horrific one car crash would not have had blood drawn for a tox screen. It’s mind boggling how people stan for this guy.
Spot on. This man is jerk in all areas … and his maturity is around 14.
Not a surprise given how he has treated women in the past. Dude is a misogynist and glad people are calling him out on that.
Right? I can’t say I’m surprised.
I don’t get the joke. Tiger’s trying too hard to be a bro and it shows that even after all these years he’s still suffering from arrested development. If anyone needed to see a prime candidate for therapy it’s Tiger.
What bothered me about this as well was all the men online complaining about people being offended by this. Saying men can’t joke with each other or have fun anymore. Many men don’t see this as sexist, misogynistic, etc. It’s crazy.
I was a Tiger fan and now I’m not since he thinks women suck.
When I was born, married women could not open a bank account without their husbands’ signatures, and employment ads were segregated by gender. I had hoped attitudes had changed, and indeed some have, but I see so much regression to unapologetic sexism. Tiger‘s behaviour disgusts me, but in no way surprises me. I’m just so very tired of this crap, and I hope Tiger’s daughter kicks his misogynistic ass.
@runner560. This. Let Two high profile women pass each other a little blue pill when one of them doesn’t do something perfectly and then publicly giggle about it and see how men feel. Bet they wouldn’t find it so hilarious.
Honestly, Tiger is a dumbass. Why a tampon? Why in public? Surely, he knew this would go viral. Maybe that was his intent?
But what I really want to know is how would the men defending him have reacted if, instead of a tampon, Tiger handed Justin a viagra bottle? Same joke, right? Tiger’s more manly, right? See, because he doesn’t need viagra. Get it. Haha. 🙄
Brilliant analogy and I’ll be using it in the near future. Thank you!! Instead of guys using “go pull your tampon out!!” as an insult, maybe it should get changed to “go pop a blue pill!!” and land with the same intent?! lol
I want to ask him why it’s funny…like, dumb it all the way down, and explain it to the audience: I don’t think he’d find it as funny and hopefully see how juvenile and antiquated it is…
Yup. If anything he should’ve handed him a pair of fake balls.
It’s so tired and offensive. They can all be glad none of us act the way we feel every month. Maybe we should start doing that. I would go to prison though so maybe not.
What gets me is this was planned. He doesn’t carry around tampons I assume. But who expected Tiger Woods to be anything but sexist?
Yeah I didn’t get the “joke” until it was explained here. So this d-ckwad was carrying a tampon with him on the golf course? He thought this out before he went on the course and said, yeah this is a good idea, everyone will have a good laugh. How old IS he???
Yeah the premeditated aspect of this just makes it that much worse!
I’m thinking… who is the woman in his life that he decided to pilfer a tampon from before he went out to play golf? His daughter? And employee? An SO?
Way to disrespect the life experience, whole being of the female people in your life you misogynistic self-centered man-dope!
Somehow, I think that the “woman in his life” is just hoping and waiting for a paycheck. Surely, she couldn’t be drawn to his personality. So, she likely isn’t too offended. I just keep thinking that this is a grown man with children of his own. It’s not a great look for a man who has a daughter but it’s just as bad because of the example he’s setting for his young son. How OLD is he that he should still find the idea of tampons funny?
He’s been with a woman named Erica Herman since 2017 and I very much doubt she gave him the tampon. She’s very private, has no social media presence, and Tiger’s kids and ex-wife Elin apparently really like her and consider her family. She was in the restaurant business and was the general manager of Tiger’s restaurant The Woods Jupiter, that’s how they met. No, the person who got the tampon for him was undoubtedly a personal assistant of some kind who was in on the joke. Some joke Tiger…SMH.
Right?? He brought the tampon with him, onto the golf course! Not only that, he had it on his person ready to hand over. Great example of character there, Tiger. Geez louise.
Yup—he came PREPARED.
When I first saw this, I assumed that someone on either crew had a nosebleed and they were helping out. I still don’t really get the “joke”. And what are the logistics on this “joke” anyway?
So Tiger’s just carrying around an unwrapped, loose tampon in his pocket, just in case he manages to hit a drive farther? Or does he ask the caddy to hold it for him (because he is probably afraid to touch it) and bring it out at a signal? Did he buy a whole box just for this?
Yeah that’s what stood out to me- he came to the course with it on him? How bizarre..
It wasn’t unwrapped. It was in paper and cardboard, so either he went into a public bathroom or sent someone in for it from a vending machine. The fact that he actually put thought into this corny misogyny is so wack.
I hope his daughter complains and confronts him about this.
When did CeeLo Green start wearing a wig?
Thank you a Tiger Woods for reminding us all who you are – and how I particularly feel about you. I was starting to forget. Kindly eff all the way off. Makes me sick he’s so disgusting.
This kind of “joke” is so tiresome…I’m 50 years old and have heard or seen guys do tampon jokes all the way back to when I first started menstruating. Maybe that’s what offends me the most, ha ha – it’s just so damn lazy.
Speaking of “offend” – these two sentences don’t go together:
“If I offended anybody, it was not the case, it was just friends having fun. As I said, if I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I’m sorry.”
(a) If I offended anybody, it was not the case…?
(b) “As I said…I’m sorry” – no, actually, you didn’t say that.
If men had periods . . .
I went to the gym yesterday and saw a dad helping his daughter lift weights. He was pushing her and was so encouraging. And I just thought it was awesome (also made me miss my dad).
So I’m just gonna focus on the positive male role models setting strong examples for their children. This stuff is just dumb and unnecessary. There are other ways to give your buddies a hard time beyond calling them “women.”
Strange take. It happened on national television in front of millions, and he wanted people to see his “joke” and how incredibly funny he is. We are permitted to have opinions. And the “childish” remark is no excuse. This is not acceptable even among children. You, Robert, are part of the problem. Instead of defending Tiger and condescending, maybe you should go out and help women.
It’s deeply ironic that some men think periods are hilarious/gross and that tampons are a symbol of weakness when in reality most men would never be able to handle menstruating whilst going about their daily lives like women have to. They’re just not as tough as us.
This.
Preach @polly! My husband even admits this. The physical pain and trauma we go through throughout our entire lives on top of everything else in society holding us down and we still manage to live whole meaningful lives? MEN COULD NEVER! I’m entering into peri menopause and I’m just like, it never stops for us does it?!
Also, the same people that laugh at this joke and think it’s hilarious are also the one crying about cancel culture right? Tiger Woods still here though.
I once saw someone explain woman being irritable when they are having their periods as :
This is how we feel about all the ish that comes our way, all the nonsense the people in our lives dump on us, all the many ways society holds us down ALL.THE.TIME. We just usually just deal with it and get on with our lives.
But a couple of days a month, having ALL that stuff piled on on top of increased and sometimes intolerable physical pain, discomfort, bloating and cramping, loss of blood, hormone fluctuations etc is TOO MUCH and we finally speak up and have to let off some steam, push back on the nonstop annoyances.
Nonsense like TWs “joke” just adds to the ish pile
Well said, Polly! And this is in response to Erin; you said:
“I’m entering into peri menopause and I’m just like, it never stops for us does it?!”
Sometimes it does stop in unexpected ways. I had awful period pain as a teen, but I was never allowed to stay home from school (that’s a whole other story) and my first job had us wearing white pants. THAT was horrible, as all you ladies know. Nothing more humiliating than a leak in white pants in public (It was a fast food place which adds to the gross factor). Then I got married, and pregnant me had so many problems with bleeding, cramps, and I went into labor at 6 months. Had to stay on bedrest after that because even walking to the bathroom started the cramps again. It was a struggle to make it all the way to term. Then they found the cancer at our 6-week checkup, and I knew why. They immediately took me to surgery and there went my uterus. 3 years later after suffering pain and trying to convince my male gyno that something was very wrong, I finally got him to go in and take a look. After I woke from the endoscopy was when the nurse told me that I had had surgery and my left ovary/tube had been removed. I had to wait for the doctor to come and tell me why. He could not make eye contact when he said that they had found 26(!?!?) tumors and then he apologized because “I had no idea you were in so much pain, you didn’t act like you were hurting that much”. BECAUSE I WAS ACCUSTOMED TO THIS KIND OF PAIN! All women are used to it; hurting and having to ignore it. Cue the same thing 5 years later when it was my right tube/ovary (different doctor, but still a man). After, they said they didn’t know how I was still going to work every day and doing the things it took to raise my son and run my home (as I was divorced by then). I actually had several friends back then who said they were jealous I didn’t have periods anymore and that I was *so lucky*. 😒 Lucky is the last thing I felt I was. I had to beg and bully my doctors for years just to get them to agree to “see” if something was wrong, and they were SO condescending and patronizing that I considered just giving up and trying to deal with the pain by myself but I had a son who needed me so I refused to quit.
It’s not just periods that men are grossed out by, but all gynecological functions. And it’s crazy because these men could not become proud fathers WITHOUT our *gross female issues*. Great way to teach your daughter that periods are so gross, tiger. I’m sure she won’t feel shamed at school, or have to listen to rude jokes and commentary about what you just did in front of the whole world 🌎. I feel so sorry for Sam.
Men have to stop this crap and change; we can’t do it for them, which means nothing will change for us on a large scale.
@serenity, I’m so so sorry you went through this and I’m sending virtual hugs to you right now. I’m so glad you were finally heard and you are still here to raise your son. It should have never gotten to that point though. And yeah I’m convinced we all walk around in pain on most days but we just deal with it and men can’t understand it because they would be bed ridden if they had to go through what we do. I also have endometriosis so I’ve had so much pain ignored, surgeries that didn’t work, and fertility issues. On top of pregnancy that I had to fight for which is just so hard on your body. I’m exhausted at this point as I’m sure you are too. We need to be able to take the time to take care of ourselves because this world cannot function without us. Unfortunate with men holding the most power that is a pipe dream. These jokes are pathetic because all it tells me is you have to make it a joke to feel superior to women because deep down you know you aren’t.
It was an incredibly juvenile and offensive joke and just an incredibly stupid move all around. I can’t even wrap my head around the fact that Tiger was carrying around a tampon at a televised major golf tournament just waiting for his moment to make a dumb sexist joke. And the other guy laughed. JFC.
My husband plays golf. I know that he and his friends sometimes “bro out” when they play together, when they have lunch or drinks or whatever sometimes afterwards. There is a lot of ribbing each other, and probably some humor that wouldn’t be my cup of tea. But nothing like this. This isn’t even High School Humor, it’s JUNIOR High School “humor.”
Tiger Woods can f@ck all the way off. He’s always been a complete ahole. Can’t stand him.
I bet he gets some gifts in his mailbox.
Is anyone surprised that Tiger Woods is still acting terrible?
He cheated on his wife while they had 2 young children, repeatedly with a lot of women.
I am tired of idiots acting terrible, saying awful things, etc. and then a “Sorry”.
Try acting like an adult.
For several years I suffered excruciatingly painful and heavy periods. I’d literally pour through super max tampons and pads in 20 minutes, and had to go to bed for a couple of days with Tylenol 3s and a heating pad. Turned out I had severe fibroids that had grown into my fallopian tubes and had to have a complete hysterectomy. If any of these idiot men had to go through what I and many other women suffer (endometriosis comes to mind) they’d turn into complete weeping babies. What Tiger did was deeply offensive, misogynistic and insulting. Obviously he still hasn’t grown up.
Tiger Woods has demonstrated repeatedly through the years that he is an ahole who has zero respect for women, so why is anyone shocked by this behavior from him?
Betcha Tiger’s 15 yo daughter is more mature than he is.
BREAKING: Tiger Woods continues to be awful.
I like to play golf and wanted to see the Netflix series Full Swing to see what it was like behind the scenes of pro golf. I literally had to turn it off about halfway through episode 1 b/c it was so stupid. And by stupid, I mean the players. Knucklehead bros and their inane banter and posturing. I can 100% see any one of them pull that tampon nonsense and think it’s hilarious. It doesn’t surprise me that TW would do this, but it’s so disappointing that he would publicly joke that being called a woman is an epic insult.
THIS ACTION is to be expected from A FRIEND OF TAKE-A-💩! I Rest My Case! 👆☝🏽
I’ve always found him so vile. He is one of those people I always had hate for, like John Mayer or Justin Timberlake. I could never quite put my finger on it when he first came on the scene. I remember if he hit a bad shot it would be a whole slew of expletives right in front of the kids watching nearby.
Before you guys get on me, I’m not a think of the children pearl clutcher ok? I myself curse a lot but I am always mindful when there are young kids around and I stop. The fact that he couldn’t or wouldn’t stop in those moments on live tv is what had me thinking he lacks self control. My radar also alerted for alcoholism, drugs, and general entitlement, as well as mysogynoir. I wasn’t at all surprised to discover he was community peen level of gross during the course of his marriage, unbeknownst to Elin at the time.
The worship for this douchetard when he was winning was over the top ridiculous. He was treated like a demi God. I always knew he was straight up trash. My radar is rarely wrong and those alarm bells were ringing loudly during the first interview I caught on TV. It was instant dislike. It was intense.
And now the worship is extending to his son, and Tiger is portrayed as this hero dad for caddying for his kid. Everyone just forgets how he humiliated that kid’s mom on a world stage, probably endangered her health, and embarrassed his kids with his selfish, reckless behavior. How quickly people forget. Great dad my ass. I have no doubt he gets along with his kids and has tried to make amends (especially with the one who is great at golf), but let’s not pass him off as father of the century here. Part of being a good dad is respecting your kids’ mother and maybe not causing so much humiliation for your family.
I am so glad Elin got the hell out of that marriage. I really, really don’t like Tiger Woods. This is exactly the sort of behavior I expect from this trash can.
The kindest thing I can say about Tiger Wood’s outrageous conduct is to wonder if he has brain damage following his accident?
Agree on the non-apology. Would love to see journalists come up with another word, or a phrase that captures the provisional, insincere, compromising, qualifying nature of these PR apologies. But, no, dummies insist on calling things apologies even if the offender doesn’t manage to grind out a ‘sorry.’ Clearly, Woods, and his fellow non-apologists (Jeremy Clarkson), understand what they said or did is wrong enough to merit a statement. They just can’t bring themselves to make a sincere apology because they are, in fact, not sorry.
Apparently, the word I’m seeking is fauxpology. Especially apt in this case when the fauxpologist tries to convince others their feelings are not real: “If I offended anybody, it was not the case…”