Sacha Baron Cohen has come out of character to defend Borat. One has to wonder why, because he adds virtually nothing to the debate.
The only worthwhile thing he says is that the people who sang “Throw the Jew Down the Well” in the bar weren’t necessarily anti-Semitic, just not vigilant enough about anti-Semitism. That’s a perspective I haven’t heard before.
Beyond that, it’s the same crap everyone else has been saying. Borat isn’t anti-Semitic, he just brings out the anti-Semitism in others. No one laughs at the Jew jokes, they just laugh at the fact that somewhere, somehow, some redneck might find a joke like that funny. (Well, that last part is probably false, but hey.)
However, the biggest reason the interview is a total waste is that he answers none of the serious charges against him. David Brooks and I have both alleged he makes fun of rural people but ignores the problems, and specifically anti-Semitism (in my argument anyway), of the urban population. Numerous people, including residents of a Romanian village, are saying Borat’s team lied to them about what the movie was and/or where it would be shown. Some people have said the “Throw the Jew Down the Well” skit was edited to make it look worse. Cohen is silent on all these topics.
Robert VerBruggen blogs at http://robertsrationale.blogspot.com.
Loading ...
No user commented in " Borat actor comes out of character "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackLeave A Reply