I wonder if someone in the Sunday Mail got his hand smacked for publishing this lovely politically correct joke. page 91 For Party sensitive people, any pollies name could be substituted. I have already passed one on in President Clinton's name to my US friends.  Philip

The Prime Minister John Howard was visiting a school, and came across a class in the middle of a discussion on English words. Mr. Howard was invited to participate by asking the pupils to give a meaning of the word "tragedy." So our illustrious leader asked the class for an example of a tragedy.

One little boy stands up and offers: "If my best friend was playing in the street and got run over by a car that would be a tragedy."

"No" says Howard, "that would be an accident."

A little girl raises her hand, " If a school bus carrying 50 children drove off a cliff killing everybody, that would be a tragedy."

"I’m afraid not" says Howard, "that is what we would call a great loss."

The room goes silent. No kid is game to say anything more. Howard searched the room, "Isn’t there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?"

Finally in the back of the class a young boy raises his hand and in a soft voice says, "If the Prime Minister's plane carrying him and his treasurer was struck by a surface to air missile, and blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy."

"Fantastic," says Howard, "that is correct, please tell the class why that would be a tragedy."

"Well," says the boy, "it couldn’t be an accident, and it certainly wouldn’t be a great loss."

 

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