[3287] in Humor
Tragic Semantics
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Brian T Sniffen)
Sun Aug 20 19:23:02 2000
To: humor@MIT.EDU
From: Brian T Sniffen <brians@MIT.EDU>
Date: 20 Aug 2000 19:22:48 -0400
Benjamin Disraeli, who in his lifetime was twice prime minister of
Great Britain, and who was the great political rival of William
E. Gladstone (himself fated to be four times prime minister), once
meticulously corrected himself in debate, withdrawing the expression
"calamity" and substituting "misfortune."
He was questioned afterward as to his reasons therefor and was asked
if there were indeed so tremendous a difference between the two words.
"Definitely," he responded, "and I will explain by an example. If my
honorable friend Gladstone were accidentally to fall into the Thames
River, that would be a misfortune; but if anyone were then to pull him
out again, that would be a calamity."
Source: Isaac Asimov
