The Best of What’s Around: The laughs fail to enlighten
As ‘Borat’ takes on anti-Semitism, Sacha Baron Cohen proves he is no Mel Brooks
By Craig Finkelstein, staff writer
Posted on December 4, 2006

Seemingly overnight, TV comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has burst onto the scene with his new film “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” in which he portrays Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev who journeys to America in order to grasp the essence of American culture. His objective changes when Borat falls in love with actress Pamela Anderson and alters his quest in the hopes of locating and marrying her.

Cohen’s film was riddled with hilarious altercations and uncanny interactions that I thoroughly enjoyed. In addition to the comedic performance that is displayed, Cohen, who is Jewish, also makes several anti-Semitic references to common Jewish stereotypes in an effort to satire how widespread and prevalent anti-Semitism is throughout the world. While I was in no way offended by Cohen’s attempt as I understood the satire involved, I do feel that Cohen’s efforts will not achieve his goal of truly educating people about the existence of anti-Semitism.

Several problems exist in how people will react to Cohen’s use of anti-Semitism. On one hand, Cohen is relying on the general population to see through the anti-Semitism and to understand that it is not funny but in fact morally wrong. The problem here is that if Cohen hopes to educate an audience that he feels is already not smart enough to realize the issue of anti-Semitism, then how does he expect them to not simply laugh when he makes fun of Jews on screen? Many people who go and see “Borat,” like those featured in the film, will actually think that the Jewish jokes are funny and as a result will not be intelligent enough to learn anything from this.

A second problem results from Borat’s growing popularity. His thick Kazakh accent and one-liners are starting become a staple of conversation, much like Dave Chappelle’s quotes were at the height of his popularity. Those who view Borat making jokes about Jews and singing songs entitled “Throw the Jew down the Well,” are going to believe that since Cohen is Jewish and is making these jokes, then it must be OK for me to make them. While hoping to root out widespread anti-Semitism, he instead has contributed to the problem because his jokes will now be thrust into mainstream society that tends to enjoy impersonating celebrities like Cohen for entertainment.

Cohen’s subtlety additionally hinders his ability to convey his message. While some may find it easy to interpret his negative references to Jews, others may not be so bright. Consider instead how director Mel Brooks approached the issues of extreme racism toward blacks in his classic film “Blazing Saddles.” In Brooks’ movie, the references to racism were so over the top, slapstick and wildly outrageous that the audience could clearly see the ridiculousness of racism, and thus took away more from the film. With Cohen’s film, it is not so blatant. 

“Blazing Saddles” was also filmed in 1974 and made social commentary on a time period nearly 100 years prior to the actual movie — society of the 1970s had clearly advanced beyond such extreme and open racism that was prevalent during the 1800s. “Borat,” however, attempts to commentate on an issue that is still going on and is a common occurrence around the world, especially in the Middle East. Is it really fair to attempt to satire something as dangerous as anti-Semitism when it still exists so heavily today? Would it have been morally appropriate for Brooks to satire racism toward blacks the way he did if it were during the height of its existence?

Certainly, it is expected to laugh excessively at the film as it is quite humorous. The true test is whether or not one can also chose to not laugh when Borat makes fun of Jews, but instead feel uncomfortable at the commentary made on the ignorant hatred of a group of people.

Craig Finkelstein is a senior international affairs major.