Earlier today, Eater correspondent Nick Solares published a mea culpa confessing involvement in New York’s “right-wing skinhead scene” as a teenager in the 1980s.
From the statement:
His involvement with said “scene” is a deplorable, heinous and immutable fact that his readers, colleagues, friends and consorts will now have to negotiate in present and future interactions with him.
But there is a silver lining here — or at least a lesson for any of us (read: most of us) who live with regrets about past actions, beliefs or behavior. Namely, that Solares accepted full responsibility for his actions. And, vitally, that he did so before these accusations were made public.
There was no finger-pointing. No denial. No eschewing of blame. Just an honest, if painful, “I fucked up, I know I fucked up, and I’m now working hard to undo that.”
Whether the “circulated” materials he alludes to in his confession will be published — and whether they are, perhaps, more damning than he lets on — remains to be seen. But by disclosing the information himself, owning up to it, and expressing what seems like genuine remorse, Solares has taken an important first step in repairing his reputation.
We hesitate to call it a brave thing to do, but it is certainly the right thing to do.
Here’s to second chances.
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