Recently, a number of women spoke out against Mario Batali because of sexual misconduct on his part. As a result, he has faced a number of consequences, with examples ranging from him being fired from one of his TV shows to one of his business partners removing his products from their store shelves. Under these circumstances, it is no wonder that Batali has issued apologies in an attempt to staunch the metaphorical bleeding, though it seems that some of his efforts could have used some additional work.
How Did Mario Batali Apologize in His Online Newsletter?
For example, Batali apologized to his fans as well as others through his online newsletter. In main, the apology was much as what one would have expected from such a message. For example, there was an acknowledgement that he had done, which was a repeat of what he had said in earlier apologies. Furthermore, there was a vow that he would make a serious effort to win back the trust of his fans. With that said, the bulk of the message was overshadowed by the fact that it ended with a postscript, which happened to be a recipe for cinnamon rolls.
How Have People Responded to His Message?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, most people have not been impressed with Batali’s choice to include a recipe for cinnamon rolls at the end of his message. After all, it undermines what he was saying to the intended recipients of his online newsletter, so much so that it can be said that it might have been better if he had never sent out the online newsletter in the first place. Granted, it is not uncommon for Batali to include recipes in his online newsletters, but the problem is that this particular online newsletter is definitely not supposed to convey a sense of business as usual, seeing as how business as usual seemed to have meant sexual misconduct on Batali’s part. As a result, it can be said that the inclusion of the recipe undermined the seriousness of the message, thus blunting its impact.
Naturally, people who have been paying attention to the news surrounding Batali have reacted in a wide range of manners, most of which have been negative to some extent. For example, some people reacted with outright disbelief, with one excellent example being a social media user who thought that it had been an Onion headline rather than something real. Likewise, other people have responded with blatant mockery to what is an incredible misstep from every perspective, while still other people have regarded it with what can be called either contempt or disgust. Summed up, the online newsletter was supposed to send out a very specific sort of message but ended up making things worse in the process.
Regardless, while the women who spoke out against Batali have had a significant impact on his businesses so far, it seems possible that the full extent of their impact won’t be known until some time further into the future. At this point in time, it is not impossible for some of Batali’s other business partners to rethink their association, particularly if he continues to make such missteps.
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