11 January 2018
If the matter is minor (getting jostled in a crowd), you might offer it as you would “oops” or “excuse me.” But be advised. “My bad” is not an apology.
Let’s put things in their proper camps. We excuse an error. We forgive an offense. Everybody makes mistakes, but as long as no obvious patterns emerge there’s no call for anyone to be taking any offense. Offenses are more personal, and we infer clear intent or egregious neglect if we’re taking offense. An offense calls for a more elaborate response.
A proper apology consists of four parts. You may call them the 4 Cs.
Confession: I did it. It was me. That’s my fault.
Commiseration: That stinks. How awful this is. I am so sorry.
Comprehension: I know what I did. I understand how that hurts.
Commitment: I’ll do better. I’ll try harder. I’ll be more attentive.
“My bad” or “Mea culpa” (Latin for “my bad“), both being possessive and acknowledging culpability, almost satisfy the first two criteria. However, they offer nothing to the other criteria, and aren’t even full sentences. Not “my bad” anyway. English calls for subjects and verbs, my and bad are both adjectives. I don’t know from foreign grammar, so “Mea culpa” might be an actual sentence. And it’s Latin, so extra points for falutin’ so highly! Still, it’s only halfway there. Assign it also to the Synonyms for “Oops” Column.
In addition to lacking much of the essence of an apology, its very brevity aggravates the offense. It suggests that it is a trivial matter, unworthy of basic courtesy. It’s the rhetorical equivalent of “It’s nothing, move on.”
It’s worse than no apology at all.