Origin of "Tragedy" joke.

[punistation]

This e-mail joke is circulating my (Australian) workplace, and everyone's laughing their head off.

Does anyone know where it came from?

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President Bush visits a primary school classroom. They are in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. The teacher asks the President if he would like to lead the discussion of the word "tragedy." So the illustrious leader 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 tractor runs him over and kills him, that would be a 'tragedy'."

"No," says Bush, "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 President. "That's what we would call a 'great loss.'"

The room goes silent. No other children volunteered. Bush 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 Air Force One, carrying you, Mr. President, were struck by a 'friendly fire' missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a 'tragedy.'"

"Fantastic!" exclaims Bush. "That's right. And can you tell me why that would be a 'tragedy'?"

"Well," says the boy, "because it certainly wouldn't be a 'great loss' and it probably wouldn't be an 'accident' either."

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:7

Kisses XXOOXX
Jen

[Unperson 309]

1. I Think It Started Out in the 3rd Reich As...

this joke... A version goes like this:

Two Jews were arguing about the difference between an accident and a mistake. Finally, unable to reach a conclusion, they consulted a rabbi.

The first man says "Rebbe Moshe, we cannot reach a conclusion here... what IS the difference between an accident and a mistake?"

Rabbi Moshe thinks a moment and answers: "Well, let us say adolf Hitler is walking down the street by a construction site and a load of bricks falls on him, smashing him flat... that is an accident!"

The second fellow asks "Well, Rebbe, so what is the difference?"

The rabbi smiles and says "Well, say you were a doctor, standing there when that load falls on the Fuhrer... and you immediately leap to save his life. THAT, my friends... is a MISTAKE!"

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