“John Key has made a meal out of ongoing Treaty negotiations with NgÄi TÅ«hoe, remarking at dinner with representatives from neighbouring iwi NgÄti Porou that if he were in TÅ«hoe country, it would be him on the menu. TÅ«hoe have found his comments hard to swallow, with lead negotiator Tamati Kruger saying the remark was in “poor taste.” Others believe the gag should be taken with a grain of salt, as a self-deprecating reference to the roasting Key has received since ruling out the return of Te Urewera National Park. The decision has soured iwi relations with the government, and effectively put negotiations on the back burner.”
(Some artistic license employed, but I’ve seen each of these puns in bona fide media coverage over the past 24 hours.)
Update: It seems nobody other than ak and I have the stomach for a pun-fest. Oh well.
Still, better to remain silent than engage in the shrieking, confused and exploitative orgy of idiotude on display at The Standard. Its only meaningful distinction from the response of the KBR seems to be the lack of ginga jokes. And the comments are a bit shorter. A shame, because there was some reasonable sense from both posters and commentariat on this topic yesterday.
L
Ae, I think we’re all fed up with it Lew…
Tell you what, cramming all those puns into a brief passage, it was hard to avoid turning it into a word salad.
L
It is Friday. There is seldom much meat on the bones just before the weekend. You’ll probably have to wait until Sunday…
Ok – I’m crap at being punny.
It might be a bit lean now, Lynn, but the whole topic will be overdone by Sunday.
L
Ummm… let’s see.. the standard of comment on The Standard is below standard, you think?
They/we are having fun!
Not funny enough for you?
Not punny enough for you?
What’s (un-original line follows) eatin’ you?
Take some time to digest their meaning.
Meat them half way.
Ruminate Lynn.
Though I can see you’ve had a belly-full of that tripe.
The objection I have to the caption competition is that, having roundly condemned Key for his behaviour, people are now gleefully making Key and Tame Iti and an unidentified child — a child, for goodness sake — the target of much, much worse and less tasteful commentary.
It’s one thing to continue along the same course, but this is just raw ugliness.
Anyway, nice to see you’ve brought something more to the table than you did over there. Cheers for that, at least.
L
He’s having to take his foot out of his mouth so he can swallow his own words.
It’s a bit of a spicy story.
been waiting for this thread!
Don’t mince your words Lynn!
Have the guts to eviscerate those Standardistas!
There’s a lot at steak!
All the bubble and squeak’s at The Standard’s had Lynn stewing all day.
Those baste-ards!
And that’s no child
I te reo o nga Tamariki o te Kohu, ka korero matou e
“apéritif”.
Spare us your ribbing, lynn.
Fly, you seem to be mixing me up with Lynn. I know it’s a hard grind keeping abreast of things, but try to conserve some dignity by measuring your words more carefully, won’t you?
Anyway, that lot over there are probably sick of my bellyaching. But the point is that there are more wholesome ways to flex the funny-mussels; ways which won’t turn the general left’s reputation on MÄori issues to custard.
L
Thanks Lew. The irony in your humor is welcome respite. Meanwhile in the real world wars are ongoing, there is famine and drought, strikes and riots….yet in good ole NZ the fuss is about a non-PC joke.
It really does make one wonder about what passes for debate in NZ. For example, over at KB a post about the reorganisation of the intelligence services (along the lines of the so-called Murdoch Report) gets a total of 8-9 comments while the post about Key’s joke goes stratospheric. Other than my post here (which received little comment), and some critical commentary by Keith Locke at Frogblog, KB is the only other blog to cover the shift, and other than a couple of NZPA releases no MSM outlet focused on that important subject.
But I must say (so as to not come off as a total killjoy), some of the puns elicited by Key’s remark are quite funny, if often tasteless.
Pablo, something like Key’s latest porkchop-in-a-synagogue act is easy to comment on. Any idiot can do it, and many do. With something like a review of the security and intelligence apparatus, most of those who don’t know a thing about it realise their limitations, and refrain from making a hash of it.
L
My bad (as they mysteriously say)
I hope you’ll accept this invisible poem
”
”
in Lew of an apology for my misnaming your good self.
What little dignity I have retained, I will conserve, by shutting up now.
..but ‘spare us your ribbing’ – not funny?
I’m bereft.
Fly, don’t be blue. You continued in the same vein, even if it was a bit cheesy.
L
I know when I’ve been Lew’d.
(damn you fly, been waiting the chance to use “lewd” for ages, now gone forever…)
Hey Pabs – turn that frown upside down son, your offerings are honoured by the dearth of comments – if there were any argument available, rest assured the sharks would swarm. It’s a testament to your all-round depth and irrefutable honesty that readers are mute, and absolutely no reflection on your thoroughly-appreciated contributions (same applies to you Lew)
“Though breasts, murder, games, draw all, moor and prude – tis faith and truth alone, left thee few to guide the lewd.” (there. did it)
But chur-broiled
No?
Not even that one?
Tough crowd.
Hey, I said you de-liver-ed on the puns, Fly. You have a rare talent.
L
Tame Iti
Sought a treaty
With the pakeha
Got a serving
(Undeserving)
Of kaitangata