Why do people say I take full responsibility after being caught doing something they should not be doing?

I think it’s supposed to be an expression of a willingness to accept the consequences without ascribing fault to others or the circumstances.

It’s not just “after being caught”, but that’s where you tend to see it in everyday news footage. It’s a mindset, actually, a realization (and willingness to accept) that no one else is to blame for one’s own failures. I do this routinely, but you don’t see me on the news – knock on wood.

Have you ever read about Eisenhower’s preparation – on June 5, 1944 – of a letter to be publicly released in case the D-Day invasion of the next day had failed? In it – because it’s still available to read – he prepared to accept the full weight of the consequences of a failed invasion.

Here is a transcript of what he wrote, and here is a page containing a link to a photo of the actual handwritten note.

When I hear this phrase used, I really have to take it under advisement, depending on the credibility of the speaker.

Too often, it is spoken as a way to deflect the criticism for a bad decision or action. There are honorable people such as Eisenhower as noted above, and then there are too many politicians that think “hey, leave me alone, I took responsibility!”

And there is this kind of statement

That second statement @zenvelo mentioned is like the kind of statement that mayor said. The girl he cheated on his wife with is taking all responsibility? It’s both people’s faults. Mainly the one with a spouse or S/O.

Sometimes you really need to parse the words closely, such as the “apology” that one routinely hears after a person complains of being wronged in some way, and the “apologizer” says words to the effect that, “I’m sorry that you feel that way,” said in a tone that makes it seem like this is meant to be an actual “apology.” That is, not apologizing for the acts or the words that the speaker did or said, but for the way that some other person professes to feel. And the speaker might actually feel like “this is remorse” or an actual apology.

Well, that’s not an apology, just like the cartoon that @zenvelo followed up with is not a shouldering of responsibility, either.

@cwotus That’s how I feel about it , too. It almost sounds like the person is contrite and taking the blame, but are they?