The C, D and Z stars apologize for crimes they committed against ratings on “The Great Celebrity Penance.” What this teaches about repentance and repentance.
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Holger Gertz
A quarter of a century after the victory in the Tour de France, the Jan Ullrich Festival is in the German media. The professional cyclist was one of the best in the late 1990s before he became a pariah – entangled in the doping system: ostracized by the media and fans who had previously worshiped him. As far as the magic power of the stimulants is concerned, the pedaler Ullrich only ever admitted what was already known, but now many observers agree on the anniversary: he, whom they call Ulle, should have come clean. Doing penance to compensate for breaking the rules, voluntarily giving back his yellow jersey – that would have made it easier for him. Public repentance, or the general desire for it, is a huge issue in a society that claims to forgive someone as soon as he confesses. But that the public would treat a repentant sinner more mercifully than an unrepentant one is, of course, just an assertion.