[lbo-talk] The joke is on the racists, says relaxed Borat

[Michael Givel]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/17/nborat17.xmlThe 
joke is on the racists, says relaxed BoratBy Catherine Elsworth in New York 
Last Updated: 2:22am GMT 17/11/2006Sacha Baron Cohen has stepped out of 
character to answer critics of hisalter ego, Borat, explaining that the 
comic creation should not betaken literally but that it "works as a tool" 
for exposing prejudiceand racism.The 35-year-old British actor, who has 
played the lewd and dim-wittedKazakh journalist throughout all the publicity 
for the hit film,defended his comedy against the complaints and lawsuits it 
hasgenerated.   Borat Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat: Kazakhs' bete noireThe 
comedian said the target of the film was not Kazakhstan, which hastalked of 
suing him over his portrayal of the country, but those whobelieved such a 
place could exist.In the spoof documentary, Borat: Cultural Learnings of 
America for MakeBenefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, the fake reporter 
utters sexist,racist and anti-Semitic comments as he crosses the States, 
encouragingthose he encounters to be similarly politically incorrect.The 
film has become an unexpected hit, topping the box office on bothsides of 
the Atlantic while attracting both complaints and lawsuitsfrom Borat's 
unwitting subjects, who say they were duped into makingthe gaffes.Cohen, a 
Cambridge graduate and devout Jew, told Rolling Stonemagazine: "Borat 
essentially works as a tool. By himself beinganti-Semitic, he lets people 
lower their guard and expose their ownprejudice, whether it's anti-Semitism 
or an acceptance ofanti-Semitism." advertisement Click to learn more...He 
added: "The joke is not on Kazakhstan. I think the joke is on peoplewho can 
believe that the Kazakhstan that I describe can exist - whobelieve that 
there's a country where homosexuals wear blue hats and thewomen live in 
cages and they drink fermented horse urine and the age ofconsent has been 
raised to nine years old."Cohen said he was shocked when he learned the 
Kazakh government wasconsidering suing him and was taking out a full-page 
advert promotingthe country in the New York Times."I've been in a bizarre 
situation, where a country has declared me asits number one enemy," he said. 
"It's inherently a comic situation."He also said he would find it hard to 
put himself and others in suchembarrassing situations if he were not in 
character.But he refused to discuss how he got people to appear on camera or 
takeBorat's preposterous questions seriously.Revealing his tactics, he said, 
would be "a disaster, terrible forme".