For those still feeling sad or alienated about the election, this Web site is a must: www.sorryeverybody.com. It’s a gallery of photographed apologies–some hilarious, some thoughtful, some poignant–about the election from American voters to the rest of the world. A typical picture features a young bearded man with a cigarette hanging from his lip holding a hand-scrawled sign that reads, “I’M SO SORRY. I did everything I could.” In another, an earnest young man holds up a “will work for citizenship” sign. And another snap shows a little girl holding a scribbled note that says, “My mommy and daddy voted 4 Kerry.”
According to news reports, the site was started by a neuroscience student named James Zetlen. An unsigned message on the site’s home page, presumably written by him, explains its purpose: “Some of us–hopefully most of us–are trying to understand and appreciate the effect our recent election will have on you, the citizens of the rest of the world. As our so-called leaders redouble their efforts to screw you over, please remember that some of us–hopefully most of us–are truly, truly sorry. And we’ll say we’re sorry, even on the behalf of the ones who aren’t.”
The site crashed last week after a report on CNN brought a surge of visitors. But it’s back up now, with the number of photographs surpassing 2,000 and growing all the time.
In one, a couple–one in formal military dress–offers “sincere apologies from Evanston, IL and Fallujah, Iraq.” A woman with a child in one arm stares at the camera while holding a note that reads, “I didn’t want this for my son, I didn’t want this for you.”
Another note mixes pathos with humor: “Dear Rest of the World: There have been some troubles at home recently–as you may have heard. Do you think it would be all right if I crashed at your place for about 4 years?”
The real joy for me, though, came from the photos saying “Apology accepted” from around the world. Ona and Daniel, a Spanish couple, say “Keep trying,” as they smile warmly at the camera. A guy from Argentina wishes us all the best next time; his face a mixture of affection and concern. One from Canada adds, “And if you’re feeling sad, come visit.”
You can add your photographed note to the group (75KB, 640×640 pixels maximum) at www.sorryeverybody.com/submit.
