Francophones are always picked on by english speaking comics in Canada. Frankly, we’re probably the most targetted minority in the country.
I’m a franco-canadian. My family is from Quebec, originally, but we’re now franco-ontarians. I find The “puppet”'s schtick in bad taste but hey, it’s low brow humor and anything amuses twits. But as someone who has fought to preserve franco-ontarian culture and my language, since I was a kid, then yes, I’m offended by it. Do you know how many times we’ve heard that we should learn to “speak white”? How we’ve fought to keep our schools, our hospitals, our culture and our fucking language? NO CLUE, eh? Oh, and how we were even told by our premier that if we wanted to maintain our schools and hospitals and french services, we could just move back to Quebec. Well, fuck you, Ontario.
We’re used to linguistic discrimination. And a lot of it. Shit like this irritates me beyond belief. I’m going to take on the Avenue Q attitude and say “Everyone’s a little bit racist” and just chalk it all up to that.
Poking fun at a minority is not right and it’s not kosher… especially not when it strikes right at the heart of the whole political debate (which is, mainly, language and culture). I’m sure this puppet dog found himself a good audience in Ontario! Lord knows they love anything that insults the franco-canadians. We’re all poutine eating farmers, you know. We’re also the only cultural group it’s still okay to make fun of and descriminate against. Can’t pick on the blacks or the asians or the jews… but the frogs? Fire away! Ontario has a long standing history of making fun of Quebec, and of francophones, and has been systematically trying to remove us from the province in the last few conservative government terms.
It’s shit like this that just makes me a more fierce separatist than I already am. I really wish detop would show up in this thread too…
Me too. It works both ways.
I’m not Quebecois, and I’m ashamed to admit, I was rather anti-French when I grew up in Alberta. But after having travelled through it a few times, it really is a wonderful province.
This is such bullshit. Have you any idea what triumph is about? HE MAKES FUN OF EVERYBODY. Blacks, jews, women, fat people, Italians, the president, EVERYONE.
You guys seem to think that down here we just sit around waiting for a chance to make fun of Montreal. Give me a break. Triumph is an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OFFENDER. That is his schtick. i’m a twit who finds him hilarious.
A better example would be making fun of your minorities who are still being discriminated against. Newly arrived asian families, immigrant families, the mexican workers, the inner city black kids, anyone of middle eastern heritage…
That’d be basically on equal footing as to whether or not what you’re making fun of is “politically correct”.
We make fun of our politicians too, you know. For some, that’s touchy, but it’s usually fair game.
Making fun of a cultural minority group just doesn’t seem right, whichever way you look at it. Would you find it okay for comedians to run down the streets of Chicago, targetting women wearing head-coverings, and telling them to “start dressing like sexy american women or move back to the middle east”? Or telling the young Indian guy waiting for the bus to “learn to speak without that damned Apu accent”? Probably not…
Yeah, it’s easy to say “but it’s just a puppet”. Truth is, there’s a sick fuck operating and voicing said puppet, and networks willing to air the shit. I’m glad to know that one can hide behind a puppet and be immune to criticism…
[QUOTE=jarbabyj]
This is such bullshit. Have you any idea what triumph is about? HE MAKES FUN OF EVERYBODY. Blacks, jews, women, fat people, Italians, the president, EVERYONE.
[QUOTE]
Ok, fair enough.
I’m glad he has an audiance. Good for the ratings.
Mike Harris and Ernie Eves are absolutely beyond dispicable. I moved to Toronto from BC a year and a half ago, and I’m still floored by how badly and selfishly they ran the province.
I could so go for some poutine right now. I wish I had a Belle Province near my house…
I don’t mean to offend you or hijack too badly, but if you’re such a separatist, why do you live in Ontario?
There seems to be a misconception here about Conan’s audience. His goal is not to make jokes that would be funny to Canadians. I’m sure he doesn’t give a shit if Quebecers are up in arms about a sock puppet. French Canadians aren’t the backbone of his viewing audience.
What matters is that it is funny to Americans. Many Americans are amused by the running language and culture battles in Canada. A good comedian is bound to insult someone. I would challenge the deeply offended to name a good comedian who offends no one.
The argument from the offended seems to be that you shouldn’t joke about deeply divisive social issues. They must not watch much comedy. The best comedians poke fun at our very sensitivity. Triumph is funny. He is funny as satire, and he would be funny even if Don Rickles was never born. Perhaps the off button on the TV is the best way to register your complaint.
I know, it’s just terrible the way Canada refused to become officially bilingual and then, to add insult to injury, passed a law saying that all signs had to have the English language lettering larger than the French, innit?
So you are comparing ascerbic racist humour directed at a minority ethnic group with…
Jokes about GWB… I don’t think there’s a debate as to whether or not this guy’s a wealth of well-deserved comedic material. He’s made fun of by people of all countries because of his individual actions which range from stupid to horrifying.
Jokes about a geographic group. Surely you understand the difference between insulting a geographic group and an ethnic group?
Making fun of bad decisions regarding the Iraq war… WTF!!! I suppose nobody should ever criticize anybody’s actions, least of all in the context of humour.
Clinton/Lewinsky… I’m sorry, you’re really losing me here. How is making fun of this fiasco similar to making fun of a minority ethnic groups? Even if Triumph goes up to Lewinsky and says, “hey, stop looking at my cigar like that”, it’s still based on her actions/lifestyle, not, say, her ethnicity, or religion.
Sorry, someone posted that you were being more dense than usual. I’ve never noticed a specific tone to your posts, but if they were all this moronic, it probably would have struck me a long time ago.
I can understand that. He knows his audience. I’m a bit annoyed at the stupidity of our government to pay $1Million for the favour. They aught to have spent it on somebody who’s first priority would be Canadians finding it funny.
Huh? She said “Franco-Ontarians”. Did I miss something, or was that a joke? I mean, if she’s a separatist, it does make more sense for her to live in the US than in Ontario.
And Weirddave, the US passed a bunch of laws saying that black people have the same as white people, and even went so far as to pass anti-discrimination laws. I guess that means they don’t suffer discrimination. Right?
Define race. Then explain how people from Quebec ARE a race, then explain how a joke about separatism is racism.
You and some other Montrealians suggested that people in the United States shouldn’t make jokes in such a volatile political environment because we don’t understand the sensitive issues. Our country is headed for a slam dunk recession, record joblessness, an education crisis and we are the number one focus target of terrorism world wide. Some of these things are due to an incompetent leader. Some people think jokes about W. are funny, some do NOT think it’s funny because they support George Bush. Therefore, it is a sensitive, political, volatile issue and making fun of him can cause offense or hurt feelings to some of his supporters.
I still think making fun of “Rednecks” and “Hatfields and McCoys” and “Good Ol’ Boys down south” is an apt comparison to “Frenchies” and “Quebeckers”. You are making fun of someone because of where they live. A man in Alberta isn’t a Quebecker, just like a Man in Maine isn’t a “Redneck”
Sorry if you think I’m dense, I’m just trying to get a grasp on why YOUR political unrest is so much more significant than anyone elses in the world. Do people still make NAZI jokes? Of course. Do people still make fun of waiting in line three days for bread in Russia? OF COURSE. Do people still make fun of blacks,jews, mexicans, asians and everyone else? Yes. You are not the “last acceptable stereotype to make fun of” like Elen suggested. That’s just ridiculous.
Oh how clever. I hope you meant that as a joke. My move to the United States had very little to do with politics, now didn’t it. And for the fucking record, one of the first things we looked into in this area was, if we were to have a family someday, would they be able to be educated in french? Well! Turns out they can. There’s a lycee growing here.
Karma: I grew up in Ontario. I’m a franco-ontarian. I’ve also forever been a french-language activist in Ontario - from being an active member of the francophone student association, to fighting for Monfort. Should I still be living in Canada, and if Quebec were to separate, I’d so just move across the border…
Well, I can understand how people don’t like it, and I don’t know if it’s a good investment, but the idea is to boost tourism, so it’s more important (as per the plan/resoning for bringing the show here) that Americans watch it and find it funny.
I know enough Mainers to confirm that yes, some are. It’s a state of mind, not geography.
I hope you’re all getting the point that this is a topic that needs to be made fun of. Your English/French problem is mainly just emotional tensions that are obstacles that need to be broken, and nothing breaks tension better than some good jokes. Or even Triumph’s.
Regarding the definition of race: according to the Webster, the definition goes thus:
1 : a breeding stock of animals
2 a : a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock * ** b : a class or kind of people unified by community of interests, habits, or characteristics ** * <the English race>
Yes, I live in Minnesota. I hoped you meant the separatist moving to the US comment as a joke. Yes, there’s a french school here. Yes, it’s important for me that my kids learn french at home and at school. It’s important to me that they understand that part of their heritage. It’s important to me that they spend time with other children who also speak their language, and who also take part in our cultural traditions. It’s important to me that they have more than a “functioning knowledge” of french. It’s important to me that they be able to go to Canada and spend time with my family and understand what’s going on. It’s important to me that they do not lose their heritage.
They will be exposed to english at home and everywhere else in their lives. They’ll be exposed to their polish roots, too.
