Supreme Court agrees to hear case from Bell, NFL on Super Bowl ads
Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain’s TV show is discovering the danger of calling Newfoundlanders by a certain diminutive nickname many find offensive.
The Twitter account for CNN’s “Parts Unknown” used the term “Newfie” in a promotional tweet for this Sunday’s hotly anticipated episode on Newfoundland and Labrador.
The official “Parts Unknown” account shared an article with Newfoundland-related books and local slang, saying “Embrace the Newfies as they are.”
Users were quick to jump on the use of the term that’s considered derogatory, with origins implying Newfoundlanders are unintelligent and lazy.
One man tweeted that “a fair portion of Newfoundlanders find the term ‘Newfie’ offensive” and said it was hard to understand why they used it “in an otherwise excellent article.”
James Baker of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., published a research paper last year on the history of the term, and its perception among post-secondary students in Newfoundland. He found that the results were a “mixed bag,” but people were quick to notice when the term was used in a derogatory way - especially on social media.
“When you have someone who’s not a Newfoundlander uses it, people tend to pay much more attention to it, especially someone as famous as Anthony Bourdain,” said Baker.
But Baker says most Americans, including Bourdain, likely wouldn’t pick up on the nuance behind the term, which has been compared to derogatory terms for other ethnic groups.
Baker added that while coverage of the province in American media can be fraught with cultural misunderstandings, interest in Newfoundland from outsiders can be seen as a positive, inviting Anthony Bourdain, left, is shown in this undated handout photo posted on the Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown Facebook page for an episode featuring Newfoundland’s local cuisine and landscapes.
potential visitors in the future.
“Anything that paints the province in a positive light is a great opportunity for tourism.”
Paul De Decker, a linguistics professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, says the term “runs a gambit” when discussed in his classes. Some students see it as a “badge of honour” or an endearing term, while others think it’s inappropriate, especially from people who aren’t from the island.
But De Decker sees potential for linguistic change with new audiences like American “Parts Unknown” viewers, who are likely unaware of the term’s history, or the stereotype of Newfoundland as an economically disadvantaged province.
“They see it (Newfoundland) for how Anthony Bourdain has portrayed it,” said De Decker. “They may not take away the same meaning that Canadians and Newfoundlanders have understood the term in the past. To them there might be nothing but positive associations with the term.”
“It would be great if we’re now at the time, and maybe this is one episode, one media outlet, where the term can take on what we call amelioration — it takes on a
positive aspect.”
The celebrity chef visited the province last fall, dining with local chefs on delicacies from moose meat to authentic fish and chips.
Bourdain also visited the French island of St. Pierre off the coast of Newfoundland, and embarked on cod fishing and moose hunting excursions.
Bourdain’s Instagram posts, including a photo of himself enjoying a seaside dinner in front of a bearskin rug with the caption “#newfoundland,” generated local excitement at the time.
Jeremy Charles, head chef behind Raymond’s in downtown St. John’s, hosted Bourdain on his visit, serving up menu items and showing off the province’s splendours.
In an interview on the “Parts Unknown” website, Charles said he’s happy to see growing interest in Newfoundland’s cuisine.
“I’ve got friends from across the country who see the ingredients we are working with, especially with the seafoods, and want to get their hands on them,” said Charles.
“I hope people get a sense that it’s pretty magical place full of a lot of interesting, friendly people and amazing landscape.”
The Supreme Court of Canada is going to play referee to help resolve the question of whether Canadians should be able to watch big-budget American commercials during the Super Bowl.
The court said Thursday it will hear appeals from Bell Canada and the National Football League over a CRTC ruling that exempted the football championship from normal practice in which Canadian ads are substituted for U.S. ones on Canadian TV.
To many Canadian fans, the highly anticipated Super Bowl commercials are considered part of the entertainment of the championship broadcast and for years there were complaints about missing them. Many turned to watching them online.
In 2016, the broadcast regulator decided that in the case of the Super Bowl, substitution was not in the public interest and excluded the game from the normal TV practice.
Bell has an exclusive licence from the NFL to broadcast the Super Bowl in Canada. It recovers the costs of that licence by selling ad time to Canadian businesses to be inserted into the Super Bowl broadcast on both Canadian and American stations.
The company said the CRTC decision cost it viewers, not to mention millions in revenue.
It argued — along with the league — that the CRTC order conflicted with Canadian broadcasting policy and regulations, targeted a specific program and violated the Copyright Act.
In a December judgment against Bell and the NFL, Justice David Near of the Federal Court of Appeal found there was “a certain irony” that legislation aimed at protecting Canada’s broadcasting industry was used to allow for American ads, to the apparent detriment of the industry.
“But there are numerous disparate objectives set out in the Broadcasting Act and Parliament intended that the CRTC decide how best to balance competing policy objectives related to broadcasting in Canada,” Near wrote.
“It is not for the court to engage in weighing these competing policy objectives and substituting its own view in deciding which policy objectives should be pursued.”