Jaques Chirac is visiting an American Elementary school and he visits one of the classes.
They are in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.
The teacher asks the French President if he would like to lead the discussion of the word "tragedy."
So the illustrious leader of all France asks the class for an example of a "tragedy."
One little boy stands up and offers:
"If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a runaway tractor comes along and knocks him dead, that would be a tragedy."
"No," says the Great Apologist, that would be an accident."
A little girl raises 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," explains the exalted European leader. "That's what we would call a great loss."
The room goes silent. No other children volunteer.
The President of France searches the room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?"
Finally at the back of the room a small boy raises his hand.
In a quiet voice he says: "If a jet carrying the President of France was struck by a missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy."
"Fantastic, Fabo!!" exclaims Chirac, "That's right. And can you tell me why that would be tragedy?"
"Well," says the boy: "because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be an accident either."
