Canada Condemns 'Racist' Conan O'Brien TV Show

Tony

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Tony
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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto...40213/en_nm/leisure_canada_conan_dc&printer=1 ...full article

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's government on Friday condemned a show by U.S. late-night television host Conan O'Brien that insulted people in French-speaking Quebec and seemed to suggest everyone in the province was homosexual.


Ottawa and the province of Ontario paid $760,000 to help O'Brien -- who appears on the NBC television network -- bring his show to Toronto for a week to boost the city's profile after a deadly SARS (news - web sites) outbreak last year.


But the federal government said O'Brien had gone far too far with the show broadcast on Thursday in which he went to Quebec, a province which has had separatist governments for much of the last 20 years and is a delicate political topic in Canada.


"We want to disassociate ourselves from the comments which were broadcast last night because we do not support them in any way," junior government minister Mauril Belanger told Parliament.


At one point in the show, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog -- a hand puppet that is a regular on the show -- said to a Quebecer: "You're French, you're obnoxious and you no speekay English." It told another: "I can smell your crotch from here."
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I watched this about 15 minutes ago on Comedy Central. Funny sh!t, but this is the icing on the cake. Has the US government ever condemned a foreign talk show because it made jokes about Americans?
 
I'm going to look for other articles but have this to say first

from the article:
"Alexa McDonough, a legislator for the left-leaning New Democrats, described the program as "racist filth" and "utterly vile" and demanded the government seek the return of the C$1 million subsidy.


"There may be those who would say, 'Isn't this interfering with freedom of expression?' It's not interfering to say we will not publicly fund this kind of vile, vicious hatemongering," McDonough told reporters. "

Alexa McDonough is, and always has been, a first class twit. Her opinion is not one the majority of Canadians (or Quebecers) share.
 
Man, that's rich!

This explains a lot of why Canadian comics inevitably emigrate to the US.

I've seen the Ontario episodes of Conen, due to my weird schedule. They're typically Conen. I remember thinking that only Conen's humor was crude enough to be understandable by a Canadian audience, and it seems like they love it. But I suppose crude humor is only good if Americans are the targets.

Exactly what part of "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" does the Canadian government not understand?
 
I am still in therapy after seeing Janet Jackson's boob with a giant ninja throwing star glued to her nipple....and now this!

OH THE HUMANITY! :cry:
 
My sense is that Triumph didn't say anything that many Canadian stand-up comics don't say as well.

I think this issue arises partly because of the twits, as God's Advocate points out, and partly because of what people hoped Conan's trip would accomplish. Many expected him to basically be a tourism campaign for Canada to boost our tourism after SARS. This is how they justified giving him $1, 000, 000 (although there was much controversy about that). I think nobody expected him to say anything negative ~ that'll scare away the tourists! If an American was thinking of going to Quebec, they might think again, blah, blah, blah. And, so, because Conan didn't do his "VISIT CANADA" duty, they want their money back. The twits obviously didn't know about Triumph. Fools. (although it is pretty funny to imagine their outrage)
 
Well, I'm bitter. I didn't watch the show last night, cause it's on too late, and I just watched the re-run on Star.

They cut Triumph's bit. Sigh. I wanted to see it for myself before passing judgement, although given how many of the people it pissed off are people I don't much care for, I'm guessing I probably would have found it funny. Poor taste, maybe, but probably funny.

On a lighter note, I swear I just saw a Toyota commercial where a woman had Cthulhu in the trunk of her Echo Hatchback. And he ate a grocery store bag boy. Seriously.

Or maybe I had too much wine with dinner.
 
Yeah, I read the articles in the various papers this morning. I really wanted to see the actual bit, though. I've been reading the show summaries in the morning all week and then watching the show on the 10 o'clock re-runs, and personally I've found that some of the entertainment critics writing the articles have very different tastes than I do. So I wanted to see the bit, get a better sense for myself was it was like, rather than rely on the paper reports.
 
I thought you might have read it.

It was really no worse than other Triumph bits, I thought. I wonder if it will be available on the Conan site.

I'll look around....someone is likely to make it available in the next day or two.
 
Can't take a joke?

That's not how I remember Quebec.

I guess I'll spend my tourist dollars where people have a sense of humor.
 
aerocontrols said:
Can't take a joke?

That's not how I remember Quebec.

I guess I'll spend my tourist dollars where people have a sense of humor.
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Toronto? We need you!

I've been to Atlanta. The least you can do is return the favour :)
 
Hawaii can take a joke. (for those who want to see Triumph in action.)



Maybe the Conan O'Brien show should give back 1 million dollars Canadian.
 
How about these variations:

"You're black, you're obnoxious and you no speekay English." It told another: "I can smell your crotch from here."
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Is it still funny?

"You're Muslim, you're obnoxious and you no speekay English." It told another: "I can smell your crotch from here."
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How about now?

"You're Jewish, you're obnoxious and you no speekay English." It told another: "I can smell your crotch from here."
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Offensive yet?

Why do I get the feeling that some of the sames posters in this thread that can't understand why anyone would be offended would change their mind it O'Brien had targetted the above groups.
Or would you all be willing just to say "Oh come on, it's just a joke."

Or are we just supposed to accept that some groups are fair game while others are off limits?
 
Kelvin,

My point was that by inviting Conan, they were inviting Triumph. This is Triumph's act. He is rude, racist, sexist etc. etc. Is that ok? No. However, given that this is his act, it was to be expected.

To be outraged now suggests that they did not do their research into Conan's show. You can't invite a guest over and then be upset when they are themselves and deliver exactly what you asked them for. That's all that Conan's show did.

If they wanted nothing but nice, they should have invited Regis.

Do you see what I mean?

TS
 
TruthSeeker said:
Kelvin,

My point was that by inviting Conan, they were inviting Triumph. This is Triumph's act. He is rude, racist, sexist etc. etc. Is that ok? No. However, given that this is his act, it was to be expected.

To be outraged now suggests that they did not do their research into Conan's show. You can't invite a guest over and then be upset when they are themselves and deliver exactly what you asked them for. That's all that Conan's show did.

If they wanted nothing but nice, they should have invited Regis.

Do you see what I mean?

TS
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Does Triumph make funs of Jews, blacks, Muslims or other groups that hold "sensitive" status in the US?

Do you think that if he did there might be some backlash?
 
KelvinG said:


Does Triumph make funs of Jews, blacks, Muslims or other groups that hold "sensitive" status in the US?

Do you think that if he did there might be some backlash?
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I don't know, I'm not a big Conan fan. However, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Perhaps someone who is more knowledgable can speak up here. Also, my sense is that making fun of French Canadians is more like making fun of bible-belt Americans or Southerners...that sort of level, rather than Muslims or Blacks. Separatists and Quebecois are a subgroup of Canadians (I am prepared to be flamed) ~ one a political group, the other geographic. So, perhaps the better comparison is how would an attack against "republicans" or "New Yorkers" be perceived.


Do you remember, Kelvin, when the same thing happened with Howard Stern? Montreal and Toronto started broadcasting his show about 7 or 8 years ago to boost sagging radio ratings. Again, the strategy was to bring in the American because somehow this was better than anything we had to offer (how irksome)

But this was Howard Stern. Who doesn't know what to expect? Within months, he was in all sorts of trouble for offending the Quebecois and other things too. (I don't remember all the details) So, he's gone now. But again, we bring in controversial acts to help us and then when they are controversial we get offended. It is embarrassing because it suggests that we put no forethought into our choices.
 
KelvinG said:
Or are we just supposed to accept that some groups are fair game while others are off limits?
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Well, my view is that all groups are fair game, including those where I happen to belong myself.

And about your three examples, I didn't find any of them funny so I guess that I wouldn't find the original funny either if I heard it.
 
TruthSeeker said:


I don't know, I'm not a big Conan fan. However, I wouldn't be surprised if he did. Perhaps someone who is more knowledgable can speak up here. Also, my sense is that making fun of French Canadians is more like making fun of bible-belt Americans or Southerners...that sort of level, rather than Muslims or Blacks. Separatists and Quebecois are a subgroup of Canadians (I am prepared to be flamed) ~ one a political group, the other geographic. So, perhaps the better comparison is how would an attack against "republicans" or "New Yorkers" be perceived.
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You may want to get some French Canadians opinions on this one.

Also, would it be wrong and worthy of condemnation if a similar joke had been made about blacks, Jews, or Muslims?
Why is that so?
Seems we've drawn a fine line between what groups are allowed to be ridiculed and which aren't. Why are we more sensitive in certain circumstances.
I'm expecting all my policital incorrect brothers and sisters on this board to stand up and say that a distinction shouldn't be made.
 
KelvinG said:


You may want to get some French Canadians opinions on this one.
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I lived in Quebec for almost a decade which included the last referendum. I know only too well what some (a minority) would have to say. This does not really change the fact that the separatists are a political movement and the "distinctness" is regional. Canada is made up of distinct regional groups ~ Maritimers are distinct, Quebecer are distinct, Ontarians are distinct etc. etc.

But then, what do I know? Afterall, I'm a Torontonian. You may begin your bashing :D
 
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