Standing in the Path of the Bandwagon

I'll preface this by saying that I consider myself something of a comedy geek, and beyond that, it's almost impossible that I would fail to find something funny simply because it's offensive. I've obsessively hit all the major milestones, from Monty Python to The Simpsons to Mr. Show to Arrested Development and lots in between. I spend too much time searching for this stuff. But I've seen several clips of Borat on YouTube and elsewhere, and I just don't understand the raging appeal. In fact, I sort of can't imagine sitting through a feature-length movie. I understand what's supposed to be clever about it, and it's not that it makes me uncomfortable; it's just that I don't find asking a stranger to urgently use his bathroom funny, much less some kind of incisive commentary about the stranger. I also don't think there's anything revelatory about discovering that certain drunken frat guys will say misogynistic and racist things.

The whole thing seems to operate on two levels, both of which seem silly (and not in the good way) -- the scatological level, and the "pretending to act shocked at human behavior" level. Poo! And oh -- Borat has opened my eyes to the dark heart of people!

To me, making philosophical fools of yourself and others for laughs isn't all that different from inflicting physical harm on yourself, like the Jackass crew does, and not many people are analyzing what deeper lessons their antics teach us about the world. Not that it can't be occasionally funny, but in both cases it's mostly a feat of bravery, a kind of comic Fear Factor.

Christopher Hitchens has this to say on Slate today:

I knew this would happen. I pick up my copy of the New Statesman, London's leftist weekly, to find a review of Borat, bannered on the table of contents as "Sacha Baron Cohen's exposure of crass Americana" and on the review page itself with, "The Kazakh ace reporter uncovers uncomfortable truths about the US."

Oh, come on. Among the "cultural learnings of America for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan" is the discovery that Americans are almost pedantic in their hospitality and politesse. At a formal dinner in Birmingham, Ala., the guests discuss Borat while he's out of the room—-filling a bag with ordure in order to bring it back to the table, as it happens-—and agree what a nice young American he might make. And this is after he has called one guest a retard and grossly insulted the wife of another (and remember, it's "Americana" that is "crass"). ... The arrival of a mountainous black hooker does admittedly put an end to the evening, but if a swarthy stranger had pulled any of the foregoing at a liberal dinner party in England, I wouldn't give much for his chances.

And since almost nothing is less entertaining than dissecting comedy, I'll shut up now. Meanwhile, the kids over at Gawker are celebrating a recent Borat beat-down.