What happened in Newtown, Connecticut today

was not a tragedy.  A tragedy is a stage play in 

which the main character is brought to ruin or 

suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence 

of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability 

to cope with unfavorable circumstances.  The

20 schoolchildren who died in a Connecticut

school today did not have tragic flaws, moral 

weaknesses, or the inability to cope with

unfavorable circumstances.  They just

happened to be born to parents in a 

country that has gone completely

gun crazy.