Well, This Is Refreshing

This may be the first time I've heard of a celebrity -- or anyone else for that matter -- apologizing for wearing communist paraphernalia.

Cameron Diaz has apologized for carrying a bag emblazoned with a red star and the Communist motto "Serve the People" during a publicized visit to Machu Picchu.

"I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have inadvertently offended. The bag was a purchase I made as a tourist in China, and I did not realize the potentially hurtful nature of the slogan printed on it," Diaz said in a statement.

The bag, like the popular Che Guevara T-shirts, are fashion items now worn by people often oblivious of their full political messages. Sensitivities are higher in Peru, though, where the Maoist Shining Path insurgency left nearly 70,000 dead.

In her statement, the "Shrek" star also said: "I'm sorry for any people's pain and suffering and it was certainly never my intention to reopen what I now know is a painful wound in this country's history."

Good for Cameron Diaz. But I wonder if she'll continue to carry that bag in countries without a painful communist legacy.