Scotland Says “My Bad,Sorry Witches” – To Which Witches Say, Huh?

I guess you could file this one under the heading of "Better Late Than Never".  Or maybe even under, "Too Late, Why Bother?"

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What Makes For A Good Apology

If you have been wronged, how timely should an apology be in order for you to take it seriously and accept it?   Does a long wait help dissipate the heat and take the edge off your anger and frustration -or- does a long delay undercut the sincerity and allow the anger to fester and build?

I guess all those variables are just that -variable.  The acceptance or rejection of an apology depends on the nature of the original offense, ensuing conditions, and the style and actions of the apologist,

So here's why I ask.

Scotland Steps Up To Say "Sorry"

Yesterday, 3/8/22, on International Women's Day, Scotland's leader, Nicola Sturgeon, issued a formal apology to the thousands of people, most of them women, who were persecuted and executed over centuries as "witches."

Whoa, hold my Hansel & Gretel Sippy cup. They apologized for a 500-year-old anti-witch campaign?  That's what I call "letting it simmer" and an "extensive cooling off period"!

Ms.Stugeon called it

injustice on a colossal scale, driven at least in part, by misogyny in its most literal sense -- hatred of women....Those who met this fate were not witches. . . . they were accused and killed because they were poor, different, vulnerable, or in many cases just because they were women.

A Long Time Coming

Scotland's records show more than 4,000 people were convicted under the Witchcraft Act of 1563 and thousands were executed. That's significant but not exactly "pressing" in that the last witchcraft execution in Britain was in 1727, a mere 295 years ago.

Does that kind of timeline undercut the sincerity of this heartfelt gesture?  We are still waiting for today's Scottish Witch community to respond.