I had a dream that everyone, everywhere in the world was aboriginal, Moccasin Joe, a comedian told the elder's gathering Thursday in Prince George.
So there was no white man around to sign the cheques, went the punchline.
A joke like that proves once again that context is everything when it comes to humour and the identity of the jokester plays a big part in whether the joke is funny or cruel and racist.
For Moccasin Joe, who's really Leonard Dick, an Ojibway from Northern Ontario, being able to laugh is an important part of the healing process. He also conducted a more serious workshop about that very concept during the elder's gathering.
The irony of Moccasin Joe's joke is that it mocks both the white men writing the cheques and the aboriginal people who accept them. It reveals the absurdity of the situation. There's nothing funny at all about it and it's totally hilarious.
On the surface, the joke is offensive but knowing the teller is aboriginal and the joke was told to a group of native elders, well, that's funny.
Comedians serve a powerful role in society, by being able to say what can't be said but in a non-threatening way that makes us both laugh and think at the same time. It's a role that goes back to medieval times, where the court jester would entertain the court by mocking royalty and saying things about the king and queen that would have earned anyone else in any other context a one-way trip to the gallows.
Comedy has now evolved into broader social and political commentary. Jon Stewart and Bill Maher are not only popular comedians but insightful observers of American life. In the wake of 9-11, Maher wrote a book about America's dependence on Middle Eastern oil called When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Bin Laden. He challenged Americans to conserve fuel and take responsibility for their energy use, while cracking jokes the entire way.
Here in Canada, we turn to Rick Mercer for kinder, gentler (more Canadian?) pokes at all things in the true north strong and free.
Whether he intends to or not, Don Cherry also fits into that model. His outrageous suits are hardly any different from the joker's costumes of the distant past and they perfectly match his outrageous outbursts. He's supposed to be a buffoon. He's Foghorn Leghorn from the Looney Tunes, a loud-mouthed shnook with lots of words and nothing important to say.
The difference between someone like Cherry and Mercer or Moccasin Joe is hatred. Cherry's rage towards European players and wimps who complain about concussions and fighting strips any humour that could be pulled out of his comments and reveals Cherry as an angry, intolerant old white man. For some reason, the CBC still thinks we need the antics of an Archie Bunker on TV every Saturday night during hockey season.
Comedians like Maher or Chris Rock can be rough and mean, too, but they reserve their hatred for stupidity and ignorance. In their sketches, they practically beg their audiences to just stop and think.
Moccasin Joe's humour asks for the same, coming from a place of hard-earned wisdom and understanding that life is unfair but it doesn't always have to be bleak.
Like humour itself, that's a truth that crosses all racial divides.
