Canaduh condemns "racist" Conan O'Brien
 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...anada_conan_dc


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."


O'Brien's team were also shown replacing street signs in the province with those that read "Quebecqueer Street" and "Rue des Pussies."


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.


Belanger did not commit to asking for the money back. No one at NBC was immediately available for comment.


The complaints over the puppet's comments come on the heels of a similar uproar following criticism of European French-Canadian hockey players on CBC television by the country's best-known sports commentator, Don Cherry.


The "Late Night" show, which taped in Toronto all this week and featured guests such as Jim Carrey (news) and Mike Myers (news), was broadcast in Canada by CHUM television, which said it regretted any offense that may have been caused.


"We offer our apology and assurance that it is never our intention to air programing that offends any of our viewers," the station said in a statement.


Triumph the Insult Comic Dog has landed in trouble before, most famously when it had an altercation with rap singer Eminem (news - web sites) at a music awards show in 2002.

I agree with the statement in that he crossed the line and ended up looking like an a**hole.....

How the hell is this racism? What a bunch of idiots. They are proud that they speak French...well someone should tell these morons to learn German and start reading Der Spiegel.

I find this all hilarious.

-Rudey
--Rue des pussies lol

How did he cross the line Cooper? Its not obvious from the article.

And guys. . . its the fucking cosmic dog . . its supposed to be insulting.

I had watched the show last night and found it hilarious.

I didn't see the show, but who cares? Anglophones are always making fun of Francophones, and vice versa.

Hey stan, ya jackass, don't implicate the rest of the canadians who keep our opinions aside from a federal ministry.

Re: Canaduh condemns "racist" Conan O'Brien
 

I'm sorry, but I think that's kind of funny :)

But then again, it's not my crotch he's talking about...

Okay taking shots at different regions of Canada is pretty much a past-time up here (which is why South Park was hilarious). You can poke fun at the culture or the language and get away with it, but when he started calling all french Canadians gay, that crossed the line (and hey I'm sure the gays were none to pleased either :) ).

As for that dog.... what a f*uckin rip off of Ed the Sock....

Whoa whoa whoa Don't shoot the messenger pal.....

Oh please, like that is such a hurtful, horrible thing. :rolleyes: It's a joke! Dumb maybe, but "crossing the line"...whatever.

I remember that South Park episode where the Newfoundlanders were angry because the new PM took away their rights to sodomize children.

Is this just happening because the Quebecois have no sense of humor?

Do people not get this? Triumph is the INSULT COMIC DOG. He's not the Intelligent Grasp on World Affairs Dog or the Nice Happy Loving Dog.

Geez, the cartoons Smigel does on SNL are WAY worse than anything Triumph has ever said.

Thanks Quebec, you gave an American city one of the best hockey teams in the NHL, and they won Lord Stanely's CUp THERE, not in Quebec.

I'm beginning to wonder if that was why some people were so upset. Maybe the feds are closet Ed fans.

I love Ed the Sock...he's quite funny and witty.
http://www.edthesock.com/main.shtml

As for poking fun at the French...YAWWWWWWNNNNN....
let me know when someone comes up with an ORIGINAL idea.
Thank you and buh bye....

The things about this is that the Quebecois were never Nordique fans. It's all about the Montreal Canadiens. So you can go on and on about this, but no one cares.

It's ok, I'm sorry the Habs suck now :(


lol you know I'm just playin ;)

Lol, I'm not a Habs fan either. But just some advice, if you're going to make fun of the Quebecois, don't talk about the Nordiques because no one will care :D ;)

Ah ok, kinda like San Diego and the Chargers....... :D

Quebec was great the year they left and moved to Colorado...it was because of not drafting lindros, they got a guy by the name of Forsberg...Try doing a little research

I think everyone is missing the big picture. ..you have to keep in mind the Chretien Gov't and Quebec liberal gov't spent considerable resources in the last anti-separtist campaign. This kind of incident does little to dissipate quebec propanga that the federal gov't is not interested in the Quebecois. The difference between Ed the Sock and Truimph in making these comments is irrelevant, quebecers will see this as a English Canada slander - not comments made by a non-canadian. Last time i checked Quebec was not in the Constitution.

My point is they didn't win the cup until they moved.......

And I knew that.....don't ya know?

You're gay ok?

Not in a I'm actually gay way, but in a flaming "GHEY" (Jules' word) wow I'm a flamer way.

Why you ask?

Because you want to be French!

Nick, I'll make you American. The rest of you French minor league team retards can eat it.

-Rudey
--Frigging put that in your poutin and smoke it

Lets put it this way, if Triumph had gone to Little Havana and made the same comments about Hispanics there would be hell to pay. If you want anymore proof all you ahve to do is chaeck out the Lovely how LOVELINE's turned racist! thread. The fact of the matter is you can't insult an entire group of people based on their ethnicity, culture or race, Conan crossed the line.

I had no problem with Triumph's tirade into Quebec, however, French Canadians have a different sense of humour than anglo-Canadians. They watch different types of comedies in Quebec (and the whole marketing scheme is different too). While most Canadians are familiar with Triump and his insults, his style may not be as well known among Canadiens, and even if it is, the separatist issue is a very sensititive, sticky issue among all Canadians.

It's been almost 9 nine years since the last referendum, and talks of separatism have been on the down low. It's nice to think that the country will stay together, but there is always the possibility that it may not. Quebec is an entirely different issue from legalizing gay marriages or decriminalizing marijuana - it would mean an entirely different Canada geographically and culturally, economically, etc. and that is a sad thought.

I don't think Conan will be the catalyst for the mumurings of separatism again, but it's understandable why some Canadians are upset.

I don't know guys...

Seems like the Federal Government is a bit quick on the whole "racist" key. I mean, I watched the show, and it's not worse than I've seen in the newspapers or on talkshows - and those are serious.

A INSULT COMIC DOG IS NOT SERIOUS. GEEEZZZZ.
(though, I'll agree it's a cheap Ed the Sock rip off. At least Ed has half naked chicks in a hot tub)

First Mr. Cherry, now this? What next - going after "This Hour"?
:rolleyes:

Not so much as that... had Triumph started spouting off that the Cuban trade embargo should be lifted and Fidel is really misunderstood and not the Commie tyrant he really is, the people of Little Havana woulda lynched him.

BUMP

They showed the episode again tonight :)