LITTLE JOHNNIE STRIKES AGAIN
Julia Gillard was visiting a primary school where she visited one of the classes. They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings. The teacher asked Julia, the self-avowed saviour of 'working families', if she would like to lead the discussion on the word 'tragedy'.
So Julia (the saviour of 'working families' ) asked the class for an example of a 'tragedy'.
A little boy stood up and offered: 'If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field & a tractor runs over him and kills him. That would be a 'tragedy'.
No, no, no said Julia - that would be an accident.'
A little girl raised her hand: 'If a school bus carrying fifty children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy'
Definitely not, explained Julia, holding her head up and straightening her back that's what we would call “a great loss”.
The room went silent. The remaining children were reluctant to volunteer Julia anxiously searched the room, and eventually she asked, 'Surely there is someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy'?
Finally, at the back of the room, little Johnny raised his hand..
In a quiet voice he said: 'If A plane carrying you and Wayne Swan was struck by a 'friendly fire' missile & blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy.'
'Fantastic!' exclaimed Julia. 'That's a great example. And can you tell me why that would be tragedy?'
'Well,' says little Johnny 'it has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss, and it probably wouldn't be a bloody accident either!'
