discusses the meaning of tragedy with students--from
viewer Matt Geary, PA
Bush was touring 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 President if he would
like to lead the discussion on the word "tragedy."
So Bush 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 and a tractor
runs over him and kills him, that would be a
"No," said Bush, "that would
be an accident."
A little girl raised her
hand: "If a school bus carrying 50 children
drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside,
that would be a tragedy."
"I'm afraid not," explained
the president. "That's what we would call a
great loss." The room went silent. No other
children volunteered. Bush searched the room.
"Isn't there someone here who can give me an
example of a tragedy?"
Finally in the back of the
room a small boy raised his hand. In a quiet
voice he said, "If Air Force One carrying you
and Mrs. Bush was struck by a "friendly fire"
missile and blown to smithereens, that would
be a tragedy."
"Fantastic!" exclaimed Bush.
"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