Tragedy actually refers to a person agonizing about what they have done. Tragedy does not mean ‘something bad’.
A child getting hit by a car is not a tragedy. However, if the mother wasn’t paying attention, and holding the dead child in her arms she mourns and agonizes about what has occurred, then it is tragic.
9/11 isn’t a tragedy. But the realization that it could have been prevented IS.
tragedy One entry found.
Main Entry: trag·e·dy Pronunciation: \ˈtra-jə-dē\ Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural trag·e·dies Etymology: Middle English tragedie, from Middle French, from Latin tragoedia, from Greek tragōidia, from tragos goat (akin to Greek trōgein to gnaw) + aeidein to sing — more at troglodyte, ode Date: 14th century
1 a: a medieval narrative poem or tale typically describing the downfall of a great man b: a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror c: the literary genre of tragic dramas
2 a: a disastrous event : calamity b: misfortune
3: tragic quality or element
My dictionary gives calamity as one definition so to those who died in 9/11 the word tragedy would apply.