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Tony Blair was visiting a primary school and he visited one of the classes.
They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.
The teacher asked the Prime Minister if he would like to lead
the discussion on the word "tragedy". So the illustrious leader
asked the class for an example of a "tragedy".
One little boy stood up and offered: "If my best friend, who
lives on a farm, is playing in the field & a tractor runs over him and
kills him, that would be a 'tragedy'".
"No," said Blair, "that would be an accident."
A little girl raised her hand: "If a school bus carrying fifty
children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a Tragedy."
"I'm afraid not," explained the Prime Minister, "that's what we
would call a great loss."
The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Tony
searched the room.
"Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of Tragedy?"
Finally, at the back of the room, a small boy raised his
hand...In a quiet voice he said: "If the Air plane carrying you and Mrs
Blair was Struck by a "friendly fire" missile & blown to smithereens,
that would be a tragedy."
"Fantastic!" exclaimed Tony Blair. "That's right. And can you
tell me why that would be tragedy?"
Well," says the boy "it has to be a tragedy, because it
certainly wouldn't be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be a f*cking
accident either!"
They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.
The teacher asked the Prime Minister if he would like to lead
the discussion on the word "tragedy". So the illustrious leader
asked the class for an example of a "tragedy".
One little boy stood up and offered: "If my best friend, who
lives on a farm, is playing in the field & a tractor runs over him and
kills him, that would be a 'tragedy'".
"No," said Blair, "that would be an accident."
A little girl raised her hand: "If a school bus carrying fifty
children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a Tragedy."
"I'm afraid not," explained the Prime Minister, "that's what we
would call a great loss."
The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Tony
searched the room.
"Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of Tragedy?"
Finally, at the back of the room, a small boy raised his
hand...In a quiet voice he said: "If the Air plane carrying you and Mrs
Blair was Struck by a "friendly fire" missile & blown to smithereens,
that would be a tragedy."
"Fantastic!" exclaimed Tony Blair. "That's right. And can you
tell me why that would be tragedy?"
Well," says the boy "it has to be a tragedy, because it
certainly wouldn't be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be a f*cking
accident either!"