I am writing in response to the Sept. 17 editorial, “No laughing matter.”
While I don’t disagree with the article itself, the author of the piece seems indecisive about the point he or she is trying to make.
In the editorial it is noted that humour is subjective but then it says that the joke by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, when he was speaking at an oil sands trade show in Fort McMurray – talking about the fate of environmental protesters in countries like Russia, is not very funny.
Kenny said: “They know they couldn’t get away with this in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. In fact, Greenpeace did do a protest on an offshore rig in Russia and their crew was arrested and thrown in a Siberian jail for six months and funnily enough, they’ve never been back,” Kenney said to scattered nervous laughter from the crowd.
“I’m not recommending that for Canada but it’s instructive. It’s instructive.”
The author said Kenny’s comments were not very funny. I agree but that doesn’t mean someone else might not feel it’s funny. People that work in the oil sands, and Kenny’s friends and others may disagree.
Also, they draw attention to the fact that they don’t think it’s funny and point out other mistakes in statement that they quoted that the whole opinion of the joke seems irrelevant to the issue.
Kenney has the right to his opinion - an attempt at humour or not.
The fact that they noted they didn’t find it funny at the beginning diminishes the other points they made.
Avery Works (Three Oaks Senior High School student),
Summerside
