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I'm so very, very sorry, or: What hath Ginni Thomas wrought?
Apologies: Ginni Thomas vs. Anita Hill
Perry Block
Virginia Thomas's recent out-of-the blue phone call to ask Anita Hill to apologize, 19 years after Hill accused Thomas's husband, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, of sexual harassment, has produced at least one positive result.
It reminds us of the power of apology to heal life's inevitable psychological wounds.
All of us screw up. You may screw up once a month; with me, it's pretty much every hour on the hour. But whenever somebody royally blows it, a simple apology is often all that's needed to set things right again.
Recognizing that Ginni Thomas was on to something, I placed a few calls of my own.
About that grade…
"Hello, Mr. Klein. This is Perry Block. I'm sure you remember me. I was in your tenth grade chemistry class in Bala Cynwyd Junior High, 45 years ago. I'm so pleased that I've reached you and you're not dead!
"Well, Mr. Klein, you gave me a D in chemistry back then, and I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology and a full explanation of why you gave me the grade you did, which messed up my grade point average and ruined my chances of getting into Harvard.
"What? You do remember me? Yes, I did set fire to the drapes, my lab smock and your seersucker suit when I turned up the Bunsen burner full-force. But I never understood those contraptions. What's the point of cooking things over those little stoves if we're not going to eat them? Hello? Hello? Mr. Klein?"
To mend a broken heart
Undaunted, I placed my next call.
"Rebecca? Rebecca Waldstein? Yes, this is Perry Block. Yes, that's right"“ Perry Block, the uber nerd. Rebecca, I'm reaching out after 35 years to ask you to apologize for dumping me in favor of, as you put it, "'just about any other guy on the planet.'
"Yes, Rebecca, I'm extending an olive branch to let you know that I'm open to a full, honest and forthright admission of your disgraceful behavior on the evening of November 13, 1978, when you canned me right after we saw the film Foul Play. You know, Chevy Chase's much heralded movie debut?
"Rebecca? Rebecca? Did your cell phone cut off?"
Frustrated with the failure of my fellow human beings to accept my peace offerings, I made one more call.
"Hi, there! George Clooney? Wow, you actually picked up the phone. That's fabulous!
"George— may I call you that? Great! George, I'm Perry Block and I wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider apologizing to me for being so successful in life, whereas my life…. No, it hasn't completely sucked, but it's fallen far short of your triumphs.
"So give it some thought and pray about this and… what? You're very sorry? If only there was something you could do?
"No, George, an apology was all I wanted. But since you ask— just promise me that you'll never do it again."♦
To read a response, click here.
It reminds us of the power of apology to heal life's inevitable psychological wounds.
All of us screw up. You may screw up once a month; with me, it's pretty much every hour on the hour. But whenever somebody royally blows it, a simple apology is often all that's needed to set things right again.
Recognizing that Ginni Thomas was on to something, I placed a few calls of my own.
About that grade…
"Hello, Mr. Klein. This is Perry Block. I'm sure you remember me. I was in your tenth grade chemistry class in Bala Cynwyd Junior High, 45 years ago. I'm so pleased that I've reached you and you're not dead!
"Well, Mr. Klein, you gave me a D in chemistry back then, and I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology and a full explanation of why you gave me the grade you did, which messed up my grade point average and ruined my chances of getting into Harvard.
"What? You do remember me? Yes, I did set fire to the drapes, my lab smock and your seersucker suit when I turned up the Bunsen burner full-force. But I never understood those contraptions. What's the point of cooking things over those little stoves if we're not going to eat them? Hello? Hello? Mr. Klein?"
To mend a broken heart
Undaunted, I placed my next call.
"Rebecca? Rebecca Waldstein? Yes, this is Perry Block. Yes, that's right"“ Perry Block, the uber nerd. Rebecca, I'm reaching out after 35 years to ask you to apologize for dumping me in favor of, as you put it, "'just about any other guy on the planet.'
"Yes, Rebecca, I'm extending an olive branch to let you know that I'm open to a full, honest and forthright admission of your disgraceful behavior on the evening of November 13, 1978, when you canned me right after we saw the film Foul Play. You know, Chevy Chase's much heralded movie debut?
"Rebecca? Rebecca? Did your cell phone cut off?"
Frustrated with the failure of my fellow human beings to accept my peace offerings, I made one more call.
"Hi, there! George Clooney? Wow, you actually picked up the phone. That's fabulous!
"George— may I call you that? Great! George, I'm Perry Block and I wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider apologizing to me for being so successful in life, whereas my life…. No, it hasn't completely sucked, but it's fallen far short of your triumphs.
"So give it some thought and pray about this and… what? You're very sorry? If only there was something you could do?
"No, George, an apology was all I wanted. But since you ask— just promise me that you'll never do it again."♦
To read a response, click here.
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