Geez, those Indians are touchy

last updated 8 January 2015

Canada

Paul Whitney

Canadians are now free to insult one another, said Paul Whitney in The Edmonton Sun. Our top court has ruled that a boss can call Native American employees “Kemosabe” if he feels like it, and they shouldn’t take offense. A woman from the Mi’kmaq tribe in Nova Scotia brought a lawsuit last year, complaining that she found the nickname racist and demeaning. But after “several hours watching Lone Ranger reruns,” the court determined that Tonto’s pet name for his masked companion was a term of respect. Of course, Tonto was the native in the 1950s TV show, and “Kemosabe” referred to his white boss, while in the civil case the name was used the opposite way. But no matter. The point is, for Canadians, this ruling is liberating. Now “we can call each other whatever we want, as long as we base the name-calling on television characters that respect each other.” How about calling your wife “dingbat,” Archie Bunker’s endearment for Edith on All in the Family? If she takes umbrage, too bad for her. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but the Supreme Court will decide what names will never hurt me.”