South Africans always need a good laugh - be it about themselves, their political leaders of the past and present, sporting disasters or other, more mundane issues.
In a country that was bent under apartheid for what felt like 400 years instead of the real 40, South Africans have learned that it is healthy to laugh at ourselves.
Sarah Britten's The Art of the South African Insult contains insults on everything - from apartheid to Zuma and Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. The insults are by everyone from JM Coetzee to Robert Kirby, Krisjan Lemmer, David Bullard and You and Daily Sun readers.
Michael Herzfeld argued in his study of Greek villagers that humour emanated from what we were most embarrassed about, not from conventional sources of national pride. This is the first time that South African humour has been explored in this way, the publisher's note says.
The Art of the South African Insult incorporates a wide range of opinion.
"I have tried to be as even-handed as possible in the targets of the humour so that everyone has an equal opportunity to be offended," says Britten, who was once referred to by Barry Ronge as "Hitler with tits".
Britten has thus not left anything to chance. She has addressed all issues - from the state of our national sports (poor performance always makes for the best of insults), race relations, apartheid, sex across the colour bar, Brett Kebble, the Vrouefederasie's concerns in 1976 that denim clothing would make all races look the same, David Bullard's intimation that the Z3 was a "gay" car preferred by hairdressers and flower arrangers which drew the ire of BMW, to comments about former deputy president Jacob Zuma (the butt of endless shower jokes), the health minister, erstwhile NNP leader "Kortbroek" van Schalkwyk, crime, business, new South Africans and what the rest of the world thinks of us.
All this is done not only with a serious undertone, but also with great humour which not only had my jaw dropping at some of the statements, but had me in stitches on nearly every page. The fact that some of the comments have not started a war in this country remains one of the miracles of this land.
Whether you are a true South African or not, this book is guaranteed to give you some sort of insight into the democratic spirit that nurtures the tolerance of criticism and just plain nastiness. Use your Christmas gift vouchers to buy a copy of this great read. - Eleanor Momberg