Thanks COlumbine for the vote of confidence.

I thought you might appreciate what the Telegram in St. John's has to say about the whole mess.

Nothing Good Under the Sun

You're supposed to turn the other cheek, or at least wait a few moments to cool down before responding to an outrageous insult.
Wednesday, we got our annual attack from a member of the Toronto media — this year, courtesy of a ham-handed Toronto sports columnist who dipped deep into the collection of false Newfoundland cliches for a 'humourous' column about the Brad Gushue rink winning the right to represent Canada at the Turino Olympics.

This offering came, not from the Globe and Mail's Margaret Wente, but from the Toronto Sun's Bill Lankhof.

Some samples?

'For Newfoundland, and for a sport looking for new blood, Gushue's victory is opportune because: the local sport of baby-seal whacking is no longer coming across on TV as a great spectator sport '

'Locals now have something to chew the fat over — other than that yucky whale blubber they've been gnawing on for those CBC retrospectives the past 50 years.'

Thursday, Lankhof was offering up excuses — sort of.

'Look people, I don't hate Newfoundlanders or think they all beat baby seals; I don't dislike Brad Gushue and I don't believe Easterners all down salted cod with Screech for breakfast. And no, it's not their fault the Titanic sank off their shores.

'I will not apologize for anything that I have written but I do feel badly for people who feel they have been insulted. While it was not the intent, I can understand it. I obviously struck a nerve, which is generally what I try to do with my column.'

Now, the column is a bit of a blessing in some ways; this is a slow time for letters to the editor, and the sleazy crud Lankhof put out has certainly helped fill our letter coffers.

Needless to say, his e-mail account is also getting stuffed with complaints, so he may well understand how offensive his comments are. The other thing is that the Toronto Sun is a paper that makes all its sales at the newsstand —

if Newfoundlanders away wanted to make a point about how unreasonable the column was, they could just boycott the paper for a few days to show their displeasure, and the paper would get the message.

The column also shows something else: it is painfully easy to push our buttons, and we are, to put it mildly, clearly sensitive about the misguided views other Canadians have about us.

But everyone, even among their own circle, has an ignorant friend. Sometimes you just ignore them, and other times you have to point out that their comments are unacceptable.

Lankhof's comments certainly are unacceptable, but frankly, he's a fourth-string columnist at Toronto's third-string newspaper — a newspaper, by the way, that tries to be on the gritty edge anyway. We should take note of what he says, clearly register our displeasure, and move on.

It's like an off-colour joke in front of the wrong audience — in the end, Lankhof is more an embarrassment to himself than anyone else, and he doesn't even realize it.

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And when the winds of change begin to blow,
I'll whisper, "You're my lighthouse" in case you didn't know.

Sons of Maxwell

visit my website!:
Anne's Philly Phan Site at http://www.gbsfanatic.com

quote:

It's like an off-colour joke in front of the wrong audience — in the end, Lankhof is more an embarrassment to himself than anyone else, and he doesn't even realize it.

Good point!

Cheers all I'll drink to that.
~Mac

I guess the equivalent down here would be a "Polish joke," which were still considered funny by some folks when I was in grade school.

Love, Columbine (who still hasn't figured out why Poland, of all nationalities - it just seems awfully random!)

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I'm sure the Sun is quite pleased that one of their reporters has got the attention of so many people around the globe.That's what they call exposure.
Let it go, let it go.

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www.ravenvision.ca

Bring on the clowns, the jokers and buffoons
I've had the time of my life,
the life of my time in the company of fools.

hey this guy is a complete dolt, i mean i suppose there have been worse things said about newfoundland, and ive heard all the newfie jokes and crap like that, but like any culture soo different from the norm of "north america" (newfie, indian, jewish, whatever), so comes the jokes, and so comes the polite smiling and nodding to them pending their cleverness or anything of value. ive heard many stupid ones, and have had choice words to say to them always. like this idiot from the sun.
like its been said, didnt mention a thing about buddy who won in curling.i know when something is funny, got a pretty good sense of humour if i do say so myself (haha). But the stuff he did say about newfoundland, even if he was trying to be funny, just plain out wasnt funny. it was so stupid that it was offensive. people who then backpeddle and use the alliby of "sarcasm" or "satire" are just unfunny people. they use those things because they cant think of anything genuinely funny to say. sarcasm is the cheapest form of comedy, i mean everybody does it, but it wasnt even good sarcasm.
and here is the clincher, my dad heard about the article, bothered him a bit, but shook it off. my grandfather heard about it, shook it off (and like most newfies would im sure). but when my grandmother hears about it, actually gets the paper on her doorstep, and it upsets her, you've gone too far mate. if you piss off my nan, then you piss me off too. dont screw with newfoundland and dont screw with my nan! i dont know if this guy should lose his job, but the editor should definetly smack him around for a bit, just so he can get the picture.
in all seriousness, i feel kind of silly giving this guy any kind of recognition, especially on the GBS website, but hey, this little opinion im writing is probably the most recognition this guy will get throughout his entire career. and im not being sarcastic. and if by the slim chance that guy finds this opinion, and gets offended, dont worry man, i was using "satire"...cant YOU take a joke? idiot

quote:

Originally posted by bodhranman:
hey this guy is a complete dolt, i mean i suppose there have been worse things said about newfoundland, and ive heard all the newfie jokes and crap like that, but like any culture soo different from the norm of "north america" (newfie, indian, jewish, whatever), so comes the jokes, and so comes the polite smiling and nodding to them pending their cleverness or anything of value. ive heard many stupid ones, and have had choice words to say to them always. like this idiot from the sun.
like its been said, didnt mention a thing about buddy who won in curling.i know when something is funny, got a pretty good sense of humour if i do say so myself (haha). But the stuff he did say about newfoundland, even if he was trying to be funny, just plain out wasnt funny. it was so stupid that it was offensive. people who then backpeddle and use the alliby of "sarcasm" or "satire" are just unfunny people. they use those things because they cant think of anything genuinely funny to say. sarcasm is the cheapest form of comedy, i mean everybody does it, but it wasnt even good sarcasm.
and here is the clincher, my dad heard about the article, bothered him a bit, but shook it off. my grandfather heard about it, shook it off (and like most newfies would im sure). but when my grandmother hears about it, actually gets the paper on her doorstep, and it upsets her, you've gone too far mate. if you piss off my nan, then you piss me off too. dont screw with newfoundland and dont screw with my nan! i dont know if this guy should lose his job, but the editor should definetly smack him around for a bit, just so he can get the picture.
in all seriousness, i feel kind of silly giving this guy any kind of recognition, especially on the GBS website, but hey, this little opinion im writing is probably the most recognition this guy will get throughout his entire career. and im not being sarcastic. and if by the slim chance that guy finds this opinion, and gets offended, dont worry man, i was using "satire"...cant YOU take a joke? idiot

There are also jokes about whites ( whatever white means). I feel good about myself not putting anyone down concerning color or heritage of country. Hey man let's all get along and no writer should have a job that writes racist remarks. Not something I want to read.

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We belong to the sea
To the waves you and me
Living in the ocean so blue
Aqua

Columbine posted a cartoon in Chuckles and giggles and I thought it was both funny, haha the cartoon to me was funny and odd, that after this thread it would be posted at all.

I think this is just as insulting to people as anything that writer wrote in his article.

Posted December 19, 2005 02:39 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Columbine:
Please do not watch
White Trash Christmas
if you're at all sensitive to the tragic plight of people of European descent confined to mobile home parks due to their economic circumstances.

Love, Columbine



I watched and thought it was great. But how funny (odd not haha) that it is here. Columbine this is not anything personal to you I making a general comment. I don't know you and I could never judge you in that way.

It was only a few days ago most people here were jumping on the bandwagon condemning someone for sterotyping Newfoundlanders in the print. Look at this, it sterotypes white trailer trash. Shouldn't we all now jump on the bandwagon to end this sterotype as well and yell and send e-mails to the makers of this little annimation.

I guess it really is just a matter of someone's opinion of what is funny and what is not.

You can make a case for "rednecks" embracing the sterotype tho, lots of evidence to that effect. That make it ok, I dunno.
But, you won't find NFLD'ers embracing the dumb NFLD sterotypes. That could be the difference.
This site would lend support to the idea that the redneck stereotype is embraced.
http://www.eccentricamerica.com/redneck.htm

quote:

Originally posted by angieforever:
It was only a few days ago most people here were jumping on the bandwagon condemning someone for sterotyping Newfoundlanders in the print. Look at this, it sterotypes white trailer trash. Shouldn't we all now jump on the bandwagon to end this sterotype as well and yell and send e-mails to the makers of this little annimation. I guess it really is just a matter of someone's opinion of what is funny and what is not.

Angie, those are my thoughts exactly. You just said it a bit more tactfully than I would have.

Buff

Again, the "redneck" thing seems to be embraced by people in whatever states "rednecks" come from. Right or wrong, up for discussion. BUT, NFLD does not embrace the notions held on us from mainland Canada. So, to me, it is different.
The justification in the above post would suggest justifying any jokes about a minority or what not because it's someone's opinion of funny, and I don't believe Angieforever or buff believes that.
Those jokes all come from the same thought process.

Futon,

You're right, I don't believe that minority jokes are right because someone thinks they're funny. I'm not trying to justify jokes about any particular group.

I was agreeing with the notion that people seem to jump fast and hard on someone who makes anti-Newfoundland/Newfoundlander comments or jokes, while other stuff slides by as harmless fun. I do see a double standard there sometimes, more often lately.

Buff

quote:

I was agreeing with the notion that people seem to jump fast and hard on someone who makes anti-Newfoundland/Newfoundlander comments or jokes, while other stuff slides by as harmless fun. I do see a double standard there sometimes, more often lately.

Welcome to the OKP, Buff. LOL!

I've noticed the same thing. But, I suppose it's natural that we'd be a little more sensitive to slights on NLers than other minority groups, given that we're fans of a NL group. If we were here exalting a band from Arkansas (or wherever "rednecks" come from), we might be a bit sensitive about that.

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There's a rope around my neck
and there's a trigger in your gun.
Jesus, say something.
I am someone, I am someone
I am someone.

A little late to the discussion I know(just got my internet working again after 3 weeks!), but I just want to say that my father was a sportswriter who did a "op-ed" column which relied heavily on "the human factor". His ethics and integrity and ability to find humor in the daily life of athletes and/or the lack of athletic ability in his own family, as well as being a master storyteller in the great Irish tradition, served him well. The fact that this guy from Toronto fell back on nothing but "hey, it's just a joke" is ridiculous and doesn't cut it with me at all. Even in the States, stereotypes still go on that are absolutely ridiculous, but this guy took potshots that were just unreasonable. I don't totally understand Canadian culture(although I'm trying to and have learned alot from this board), but what makes one province better than another?

Oh, by the way, if you want to influence anything with a newspaper, forget about writing to editors and writers themselves - tell their advertisers that you won't buy their products if they keep putting ads in that particular paper. Once the newspaper's ad money starts to disappear, then the paper will really take notice - it's their bread and butter. Yup, stop subscribing and you'll cause a small amount of pain, but if they lose those advertising dollars, they're sunk.

Just had to put my two cents in....

Cheers all!

Kati

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"Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength." - John Wesley

"If you wanna touch the sky, better learn how to kneel" - U2

quote:

tell their advertisers that you won't buy their products if they keep putting ads in that particular paper.

smart girl! this is an excellent plan.

I have developed a new verb in my vocabulary. To "Schmidlap" is to make an apology by telling the offended person they are a crybaby for having been offended. I think Newfoundland got "schmidlapped"

Gosh I hope this post doesn't offend anyone.

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In the social order, I accept the bottom rung, until the wine is pouring and the Lord commands a song!