The idea went out of vogue long ago.
Or so we thought.
Then, last week, a publishing company from Western Canada e-mailed us to announce (and offer a free copy for review) their latest publication.
Wait, best get your anti-nausea tablets for this one.
The title of the 248-page tome, published by Folklore Publishing, is, “Newfie Joke Book.”
Their press release announcing the launch of the book even offers up a handful of jokes to be found within the pages.
We won’t repeat them here.
Suffice to say the jokes are inane, unimaginative and, above all, degrading to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
This amounts to nothing more than a caustic put down of all the people of this province - painting us all as a lump of dim-witted, poorly educated, bad mannered imbeciles.
Disturbing enough that a Canadian company would publish such a derogatory item; worse, still, that – according to the press release – it was written by a native of Newfoundland (albeit an ex-‘patriat’ who now calls Alberta home).
How dare they?
At best this is poor taste at its ultimate. At worst it is a libelous work against an entire segment of Canadian society – namely the people of this province.
Would the publishers dare replace the word “Newfie” with “Jewish” or “Polish” or “Hispanic” or “Muslim” or “Francophone?”. Would they dare to publish a similar book poking fun at any one of those other distinct or regional groups, and offer it up proudly to the public?
Not likely.
So why a “Newfie” Joke Book.
The words themselves have a contemptuous ring.
In her e-mail the publicist for Folklore Publishing offered, “The Newfie Joke Book features jokes that I’m sure will strike your funny bone with just the right amount of regional humour.”
The words themselves have a contemptuous ring. - Barbara Dean-Simmons
We beg to differ.
This is not humour in the real sense of the word.
It is a far cry from W.P. Kinsella’s essays on the lives of the characters of Hobbema; stories told with humour that offers insight into the struggles of being native.
It is not the self-effacing humour offered up by playwright Dave Needles in his Letters From Wingfield Farm.
It is not the sage humour of Stuart McLean. It comes nowhere close the to gentle humour offered in the story-telling genius of Garrison Keillor.
It will never win a Stephen Leacock Award for humour.
When done well, humour is a true art form.
Done halfway well, it can be consider comedy.
The Newfie Joke Book is neither.
Poor jokes aside, it is unoriginal, unimaginative and badly written, judging from the samples offered in the press release.
It doesn’t even constitute good comedy.
It is crude and rude - as subtle as a blunt axe on a human skull.
Not pretty, not nice and definitely not worth paying its asking price of $16.95.
So let’s do ourselves a favour.
Next time you see a book with the title “Newfie Joke Book” displayed on a store shelf, don’t just refuse to buy it. Complain to the store manager that you take offense to it and boycott the store until they stop selling it.
As for the publishing company from the West that had the grand, yet misplaced, idea that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians might snap up copies of this book full of “regional humour” we’re willing to bet the joke will be on them.
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