A Bob Hallett cartoon...from the official Twitter account of Bob Hallett. (No copyright infringement intended)
Bob first raised awareness of derogatory Newfoundland T-shirts being distributed by Walmart in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Canada. The T-shirt description states “St. Paddy’s Newfie Beer Removal Service – pints, pitchers, kegs.” The term ‘Newfie’ has been discussed on many occasions over the years by Newfoundlanders themselves and by outsiders.
As an outsider I realise some Newfoundlanders find it offensive, while others see ‘Newfie’ as something positive and take great pride in being called one. I agree with Bob’s comments on his official Twitter account that some Newfoundlanders find the term offensive and don’t like it. That is a good enough reason not to use it. Outsiders who call Newfoundlanders, ‘Newfie’ don’t really understand the complexity of the term and when and how to use it without causing offence. Therefore, as an outsider I wouldn’t use it.
The local newspaper media followed up on the story. The first article “Walmart panned for ‘Newfie’ Paddy’s Day T” by Tara Bradbury and published on 22 February, 2016 in The Telegram provides an overview of the development of the story as raised by Bob Hallett on his official Twitter account. There is an interesting debate by Newfoundlanders about this issue in the comments section.
In the second article “Walmart pulls ‘Newfie’ T-shirts” also by Tara Bradbury published on 23 February, 2016, Walmart apologised to Newfoundlanders who found the T-shirt offensive and have removed existing stock from stores.
This article also raises an interesting point in that Walmart had sourced their Newfoundland souvenirs from a local company. Walmart should be encouraged to continue sourcing Newfoundland and Canadian goods rather than cheap US imports.
I have copied the articles here as I have had difficulty circulating some stories from The Telegram on Google+ page.
“Walmart panned for ‘Newfie’ Paddy’s Day T” by Tara Bradbury published on 22 February, 2016 in The Telegram (no copyright infringement intended).
Some Irish eyes are glaring, not smiling, at WalMart for selling a St. Patrick’s Day T-shirt they feel is derogatory and offensive.
“St. Paddy’s Newfie Beer Removal Service — pints, pitchers, kegs” is printed in white lettering on the green T-shirt along with an image of a beer stein. The shirts bear tags from a company called Rock Gear
Great Big Sea band member and local restauranteur Bob Hallett noticed the shirts at the Mount Pearl WalMart a little over a week ago, and posted a photo on Twitter with the caption, “Really, WalMart? We’ve got to get past this shit.”
“While lots of Newfoundlanders are comfortable with the term Newfie, there are just as many who are not, and I count myself in that number,” Hallett told The Telegram. “Like so many other racial slurs, context is everything — if the group in question wishes to use it themselves, that is one thing. For a worldwide corporation to put it on T-shirt is quite another."
While some Twitter users disagreed and claimed those with a problem with the shirts were being oversensitive and too politically correct, the majority of responses were from people who shared Hallett’s point of view and called the shirt derogatory.
“This is extremely offensive and not acceptable,” tweeted Joanie Perry Sears, tagging WalMart Canada directly.
WalMart replied: “We have checked with our stores and can confirm we are not selling this shirt.”
Three days later, piles of the shirts were still available at at least two St. John’s WalMart locations. In an email, a WalMart Canada spokesman indicated Monday the organization would provide a statement in response to The Telegram’s inquiries about the shirt, however no statement was given as of deadline.
The Telegram could find no information on Rock Gear t-shirts.
“WalMart is famously organized and detail oriented — someone saw that shirt and decided it was OK. It isn’t,” Hallett said.
“I have spent my career singing, writing and talking about the culture of Newfoundland, and while celebration is a big part of that culture, ‘Newfie Beer Removal’ is an idiotic way to describe it.”
“Walmart pulls ‘Newfie’ T-shirts” by Tara Bradbury published on 23 February, 2016 in The Telegram. (No copyright infringement intended)
The company behind the “Newfie beer removal service” T-shirt that earned Walmart some flack says it didn’t intend to offend anyone, and is working with the department store giant to pull the shirt from store shelves.
“In respect for the feelings of some of our fellow Newfoundlanders who find it offensive, we have, in conjunction with Walmart, decided to remove the T-shirt from all Walmart stores in the province,” Bill Coady of Islandwide Distributors said in an email.
“St. Paddy’s Newfie Beer Removal Service — pints, pitchers, kegs” is printed in white lettering along with an image of a beer stein on the green T-shirt, which is also available at Pipers stores and some Only Deals dollar store locations.
Bob Hallett, a local restaurateur and member of Great Big Sea, posted an image of the T-shirt on Twitter last week, with the caption, “Really, Walmart? We’ve got to get past this shit.”
While some Twitter users saw no problem with the shirts, many agreed with Hallett and contacted Walmart to say the shirt was derogatory and offensive.
“I have spent my career singing, writing and talking about the culture of Newfoundland, and while celebration is a big part of that culture, ‘Newfie Beer Removal’ is an idiotic way to describe it,” Hallett said when contacted by The Telegram. “Like so many other racial slurs, context is everything — if the group in question wishes to use it themselves, that is one thing. For a worldwide corporation to put it on a T-shirt is quite another.”
Walmart’s initial response on Twitter was that its stores weren’t selling the shirts at all. However they were still available for $10 at at least two St. John’s Walmart locations days later.
Walmart spokesman Alex Roberton said the social media response was due to an “internal miscommunication,” as not all stores carried the shirts.
“We can confirm that we carried the T-shirt in question at five of our Newfoundland stores,” said Roberton, senior director of corporate affairs for Walmart Canada. “The shirts were purchased from a local supplier as part of a broader assortment of St. Patrick’s Day items. However, as a result of feedback we have received from our customers, we have discontinued sale of the shirt.”
A spokeswoman for Pipers said the store would be in a position to comment on Wednesday. A call to Only Deals’ head office in Manitoba was not returned as of deadline.
Islandwide Distributors is a locally owned company that produces Newfoundland-themed souvenirs, including T-shirts, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, mugs and cards. The company has been supplying Walmart with souvenirs for about 10 years, and the “Newfie Beer Removal Service” shirt was created based on the requests of local customers, Coady explained.
“The St. Paddy’s Day T-shirt was designed by a Newfoundland artist (who), like the owners of Islandwide, has deep roots and pride being a Newfoundlander,” he wrote. “Islandwide had the T-shirt printed by a local Newfoundland company and Islandwide Distributors, as a vendor for Walmart, decided to put the T-shirts in their stores. We are very pleased that a large retailer like Walmart would support and sell product produced by a local Newfoundland company.”
Based on positive feedback it has received on similar designs in the past, Islandwide wasn’t anticipating any negativity about the “Newfie Beer Removal Service” T-shirt, Coady said.
As an outsider I realise some Newfoundlanders find it offensive, while others see ‘Newfie’ as something positive and take great pride in being called one. I agree with Bob’s comments on his official Twitter account that some Newfoundlanders find the term offensive and don’t like it. That is a good enough reason not to use it. Outsiders who call Newfoundlanders, ‘Newfie’ don’t really understand the complexity of the term and when and how to use it without causing offence. Therefore, as an outsider I wouldn’t use it.
The local newspaper media followed up on the story. The first article “Walmart panned for ‘Newfie’ Paddy’s Day T” by Tara Bradbury and published on 22 February, 2016 in The Telegram provides an overview of the development of the story as raised by Bob Hallett on his official Twitter account. There is an interesting debate by Newfoundlanders about this issue in the comments section.
In the second article “Walmart pulls ‘Newfie’ T-shirts” also by Tara Bradbury published on 23 February, 2016, Walmart apologised to Newfoundlanders who found the T-shirt offensive and have removed existing stock from stores.
This article also raises an interesting point in that Walmart had sourced their Newfoundland souvenirs from a local company. Walmart should be encouraged to continue sourcing Newfoundland and Canadian goods rather than cheap US imports.
I have copied the articles here as I have had difficulty circulating some stories from The Telegram on Google+ page.
“Walmart panned for ‘Newfie’ Paddy’s Day T” by Tara Bradbury published on 22 February, 2016 in The Telegram (no copyright infringement intended).
Some Irish eyes are glaring, not smiling, at WalMart for selling a St. Patrick’s Day T-shirt they feel is derogatory and offensive.
“St. Paddy’s Newfie Beer Removal Service — pints, pitchers, kegs” is printed in white lettering on the green T-shirt along with an image of a beer stein. The shirts bear tags from a company called Rock Gear
Great Big Sea band member and local restauranteur Bob Hallett noticed the shirts at the Mount Pearl WalMart a little over a week ago, and posted a photo on Twitter with the caption, “Really, WalMart? We’ve got to get past this shit.”
“While lots of Newfoundlanders are comfortable with the term Newfie, there are just as many who are not, and I count myself in that number,” Hallett told The Telegram. “Like so many other racial slurs, context is everything — if the group in question wishes to use it themselves, that is one thing. For a worldwide corporation to put it on T-shirt is quite another."
While some Twitter users disagreed and claimed those with a problem with the shirts were being oversensitive and too politically correct, the majority of responses were from people who shared Hallett’s point of view and called the shirt derogatory.
“This is extremely offensive and not acceptable,” tweeted Joanie Perry Sears, tagging WalMart Canada directly.
WalMart replied: “We have checked with our stores and can confirm we are not selling this shirt.”
Three days later, piles of the shirts were still available at at least two St. John’s WalMart locations. In an email, a WalMart Canada spokesman indicated Monday the organization would provide a statement in response to The Telegram’s inquiries about the shirt, however no statement was given as of deadline.
The Telegram could find no information on Rock Gear t-shirts.
“WalMart is famously organized and detail oriented — someone saw that shirt and decided it was OK. It isn’t,” Hallett said.
“I have spent my career singing, writing and talking about the culture of Newfoundland, and while celebration is a big part of that culture, ‘Newfie Beer Removal’ is an idiotic way to describe it.”
“Walmart pulls ‘Newfie’ T-shirts” by Tara Bradbury published on 23 February, 2016 in The Telegram. (No copyright infringement intended)
The company behind the “Newfie beer removal service” T-shirt that earned Walmart some flack says it didn’t intend to offend anyone, and is working with the department store giant to pull the shirt from store shelves.
“In respect for the feelings of some of our fellow Newfoundlanders who find it offensive, we have, in conjunction with Walmart, decided to remove the T-shirt from all Walmart stores in the province,” Bill Coady of Islandwide Distributors said in an email.
“St. Paddy’s Newfie Beer Removal Service — pints, pitchers, kegs” is printed in white lettering along with an image of a beer stein on the green T-shirt, which is also available at Pipers stores and some Only Deals dollar store locations.
Bob Hallett, a local restaurateur and member of Great Big Sea, posted an image of the T-shirt on Twitter last week, with the caption, “Really, Walmart? We’ve got to get past this shit.”
While some Twitter users saw no problem with the shirts, many agreed with Hallett and contacted Walmart to say the shirt was derogatory and offensive.
“I have spent my career singing, writing and talking about the culture of Newfoundland, and while celebration is a big part of that culture, ‘Newfie Beer Removal’ is an idiotic way to describe it,” Hallett said when contacted by The Telegram. “Like so many other racial slurs, context is everything — if the group in question wishes to use it themselves, that is one thing. For a worldwide corporation to put it on a T-shirt is quite another.”
Walmart’s initial response on Twitter was that its stores weren’t selling the shirts at all. However they were still available for $10 at at least two St. John’s Walmart locations days later.
Walmart spokesman Alex Roberton said the social media response was due to an “internal miscommunication,” as not all stores carried the shirts.
“We can confirm that we carried the T-shirt in question at five of our Newfoundland stores,” said Roberton, senior director of corporate affairs for Walmart Canada. “The shirts were purchased from a local supplier as part of a broader assortment of St. Patrick’s Day items. However, as a result of feedback we have received from our customers, we have discontinued sale of the shirt.”
A spokeswoman for Pipers said the store would be in a position to comment on Wednesday. A call to Only Deals’ head office in Manitoba was not returned as of deadline.
Islandwide Distributors is a locally owned company that produces Newfoundland-themed souvenirs, including T-shirts, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, mugs and cards. The company has been supplying Walmart with souvenirs for about 10 years, and the “Newfie Beer Removal Service” shirt was created based on the requests of local customers, Coady explained.
“The St. Paddy’s Day T-shirt was designed by a Newfoundland artist (who), like the owners of Islandwide, has deep roots and pride being a Newfoundlander,” he wrote. “Islandwide had the T-shirt printed by a local Newfoundland company and Islandwide Distributors, as a vendor for Walmart, decided to put the T-shirts in their stores. We are very pleased that a large retailer like Walmart would support and sell product produced by a local Newfoundland company.”
Based on positive feedback it has received on similar designs in the past, Islandwide wasn’t anticipating any negativity about the “Newfie Beer Removal Service” T-shirt, Coady said.
