The Eddington Problem: Resurrecting Apology for a World That Forgot How #5
Description
The Prophecy We Didn't Know We Made
In 2015, we asked: "How do you extract an apology from another human being? And then advertise it and then monetize that apology?"
We thought we were building a quirky startup. Turns out we were predicting the central crisis of American social fabric.
The World Got Weirder (Eddington Edition)
Have you seen Ari Aster's Eddington? Sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) gets into a grocery store fight over masks, runs for mayor, spirals into conspiracy theories, and drags his entire town into chaos. His wife Louise (Emma Stone) "slides down that hill" into misinformation. Austin Butler plays a "viral charlatan" who manipulates through provocative rhetoric. Nobody apologizes. Everyone doubles down.
The film's thesis: "there is no explanation why much of humanity collapsed under the weight of conspiracy theories, mask debates, Black Lives Matter protests, and the rise of viral culture."
This is our market now. And it's WAY bigger than 2015.
New Feature Proposals for 2025
1. The Apology Resistance Module
The 2015 concept assumed people WOULD apologize if properly prompted. Naive. We need:
- Escalation Pathways: When standard requests fail, what's next? Community witnesses? Public accountability boards? NFT-minted grievance receipts?
- Pattern Documentation: Track serial non-apologizers. Expose "apology debt" like credit scores.
- The Waiting Room: A public space where unresolved apology requests live, accumulating social pressure.
2. Non-Apology Detection (AI-Powered)
- "I'm sorry you feel that way" → REJECTED
- "Mistakes were made" → REJECTED
- "I apologize IF anyone was offended" → REJECTED
- Real-time analysis of corporate PR statements
- Political non-apology hall of shame
3. The Eddington Problem™
A new category for when the person who OWES an apology has gone so far down a rabbit hole (conspiracy, ideology, main character syndrome) they're neurologically incapable of perceiving wrongdoing:
- Intervention Mode: Enlist family/friends to build awareness
- Time Capsule Apologies: Store the request for when they emerge (if ever)
- Proxy Apologies: Community members apologize on their behalf (problematic? discuss)
- The Louise Track: For people who were normal, got weird, might come back
4. AI Mediation Layer
2025 capability the 2015 team didn't have:
- Translate raw grievance into diplomatically-worded apology requests
- Suggest framing that bypasses defensive triggers
- Analyze recipient's communication patterns to optimize approach
- Generate sincere apology drafts for apologizers who "don't know what to say"
5. Corporate Accountability Integration
(Building on Issue #3's "corporate complaints" idea)
- Public companies' apology/non-apology tracker
- CEO statement analyzer
- Class action apology requests (when thousands deserve apologies)
- Auto-generate SEC-complaint-style apology demands
Naming Convention Resurrection
(Addressing Issue #4's open questions)
Given the 2025 reality, I propose:
| 2015 Term | 2025 Evolution | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
ApologyRequest |
ApologyDemand |
Politeness is dead |
ApologyRequest |
ApologyIntervention |
For Eddington cases |
requester |
grievant |
Legal flavor |
requestee |
respondent |
or the accused |
Apologee |
ApologyDebtor |
Emphasizes obligation |
apologist |
reconciler |
More dignified |
Technical Resurrection Questions
The Rails boilerplate from 2015 is a time capsule. Options:
- Modernize Rails → Rails 7+ with Hotwire, live updates for real-time apology status
- Phoenix/Elixir → Better for real-time, scales for viral moments when someone famous gets called out
- Keep it scrappy → The jank is part of the charm
The Philosophical Question
"In the midst of the pandemic, every American asked themselves: What kind of person do I want to be?"
The answer, apparently, was: the kind who never admits they were wrong.
Apology isn't just a startup idea anymore. It's infrastructure for rebuilding the capacity for human reconciliation.
The question is: are we building a tool, or documenting an extinction?
Related viewing: Eddington (2025) - Roger Ebert Review
Test subjects (Issue #2 callback): We should start with public figures who've accumulated massive apology debt. The backlog is... substantial.