The cliché that Canada is a polite country, where even people in mosh pits say "sorry," is relatively true. Yes we like to have fun, but for the most part, Canadians are pretty civil and nice to each other. Except, for some reason, when it comes to people from Newfoundland. Somewhere along the way, Canadians decided that while it's not okay to make fun of people from other countries, Newfie jokes—which are basically remixed racist jokes—are totally fine. In fact, there are even entire websites dedicated to them.
That's not to say we can't take a joke. We can. In fact, most of our social interactions are comprised of thinking up creative ways to tell the other person they're an idiot. But sometimes it's hard.
Sometimes you find yourself half cut in some shitty dive bar in Edmonton or Toronto or even Halifax and there's a drawing of a fisherman getting sucked off by a fish with the word NEWFIE scrawled above it. In that moment, you feel 500 years of disrespect and petty, grinding, banal oppression rise with the bile in the back of your throat as the saltwater boils in your veins. Your first instinct is to smack someone but you order another drink and die a little more inside.
If only mainlanders understood the subtle richness of being a Newfoundlander.
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How to Speak, Drink, and Fight Like a Newfoundlander | VICE | United States