Bill Clinton is visiting a school. In
one class, he asks the students if anyone can give him an example of a
"tragedy". One little boy stands up and offers that, "If my best
friend who lives next door was playing in the street and a car came along and killed him,
that would be a tragedy."
"No," Clinton says,
"That would be an ACCIDENT."
A girl raises her hand. "If a
schoolbus carrying fifty children drove off a cliff, killing everyone involved...that
would be a tragedy."
"I'm afraid not," explains
Clinton. "That is what we would call a GREAT LOSS."
The room is silent; none of the other
children volunteer.
"What?" asks Clinton,
"Isn't there any one here who can give me an example of a tragedy?"
Finally, a boy in the back raises his
hand. In a timid voice, he says: "If an airplane carrying Bill and Hillary
Clinton were blown up by a bomb, that would be a tragedy."
"Wonderful!" Clinton
beams. "Marvelous! And can you tell me WHY that would be a tragedy?"
"Well," says the boy,
"because it wouldn't be an accident, and it certainly would be no great loss!"
