Comments on: Borat http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/ Agile & Open Source Software, Economics, Liberty and Entrepreneurship Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:08:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: jb http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/#comment-2041 jb Sat, 02 Dec 2006 03:41:44 +0000 http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/#comment-2041 Bret, The fact that I approved your comment should show you how little I care what you think. Oh, and <i>you're</i> illiterate. Bret,

The fact that I approved your comment should show you how little I care what you think.

Oh, and you’re illiterate.

]]> By: Bret Bjorkquest http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/#comment-2030 Bret Bjorkquest Sat, 02 Dec 2006 00:44:37 +0000 http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/#comment-2030 wow, your a fag wow, your a fag

]]> By: Peter Cooper http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/#comment-1185 Peter Cooper Sat, 11 Nov 2006 18:10:19 +0000 http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/#comment-1185 The third review is closest to the truth. The gun guy came off more as confused than racist or crazy. It was obvious he was just humoring Borat. Other people, like the Rodeo guy, however, definitely didn't hold back with their vile opinions, and there's not many ways you can twist and edit those. To be honest though, I don't think anyone in the movie looked particularly bad.. it was really just holding a mirror up to how people are. Most people *do* distrust other people when they approach them on the street, most people *would* be outraged if a guest invited a hooker to their house.. etc. I think it highlights how stupid our genuine and accepted practices are, rather than twisting them to show us as 'bad'. The third review is closest to the truth. The gun guy came off more as confused than racist or crazy. It was obvious he was just humoring Borat.

Other people, like the Rodeo guy, however, definitely didn’t hold back with their vile opinions, and there’s not many ways you can twist and edit those.

To be honest though, I don’t think anyone in the movie looked particularly bad.. it was really just holding a mirror up to how people are. Most people *do* distrust other people when they approach them on the street, most people *would* be outraged if a guest invited a hooker to their house.. etc. I think it highlights how stupid our genuine and accepted practices are, rather than twisting them to show us as ‘bad’.

]]> By: Ashley Frieze http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/#comment-1076 Ashley Frieze Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:40:41 +0000 http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/#comment-1076 I saw the movie last night. It made me laugh a lot. The movie is not about manipulating regular people into shaming themselves. Instead, the movie is about how people react to a character who is so totally different to their culture. It's about how people can be exceedingly forgiving, even when we all know that the character has crossed several lines, outrageously. The only person in the entire movie who is made to look bad is the guy at the Rodeo who tells Borat to shave off his moustache or he'll look like a Muslim, and who intimates that all gays should be hung. Everyone else is just portrayed as a normal person, trying their best to cope with an apparently insane foreigner. The clips we've seen all suggest that this is Prank TV, but there's more to it than that. There are moments of pathos, tenderness, extremely funny physical comedy, and several occasions where you're laughing because you share the good values that Borat appears to be abusing. Don't rely on the reviews and the clips for information. This is a very well put together movie with plenty of laughs and plenty of good people in it. I saw the movie last night. It made me laugh a lot. The movie is not about manipulating regular people into shaming themselves. Instead, the movie is about how people react to a character who is so totally different to their culture. It’s about how people can be exceedingly forgiving, even when we all know that the character has crossed several lines, outrageously.

The only person in the entire movie who is made to look bad is the guy at the Rodeo who tells Borat to shave off his moustache or he’ll look like a Muslim, and who intimates that all gays should be hung. Everyone else is just portrayed as a normal person, trying their best to cope with an apparently insane foreigner.

The clips we’ve seen all suggest that this is Prank TV, but there’s more to it than that. There are moments of pathos, tenderness, extremely funny physical comedy, and several occasions where you’re laughing because you share the good values that Borat appears to be abusing.

Don’t rely on the reviews and the clips for information. This is a very well put together movie with plenty of laughs and plenty of good people in it.

]]> By: Ulrich Hobelmann http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/#comment-1058 Ulrich Hobelmann Sun, 05 Nov 2006 09:14:36 +0000 http://undefined.com/ia/2006/11/05/borat/#comment-1058 People perceive the same situation differently, depending on how they want to perceive it. Maybe they're just (to paraphrase you) artists creating the article they want to tell. If you're a gun-store owner, and somebody asks you what weapon is good for defense against Jews, what difference does that make? It could just as well be defense against robbers, terrorist Muslims or whatever. Maybe the store owner just thinks Borat is afraid of these people because he (Borat) thinks they're greedy bastards, which seems to be a common prejudice against Jews (or at least a cliché). Anyway, his job is to sell guns. If you think it's too dangerous to sell guns to people, you have to blame politics, not the gun-store owner. He's just operating in the context of a society that has the second amendment. People perceive the same situation differently, depending on how they want to perceive it. Maybe they’re just (to paraphrase you) artists creating the article they want to tell.

If you’re a gun-store owner, and somebody asks you what weapon is good for defense against Jews, what difference does that make? It could just as well be defense against robbers, terrorist Muslims or whatever.

Maybe the store owner just thinks Borat is afraid of these people because he (Borat) thinks they’re greedy bastards, which seems to be a common prejudice against Jews (or at least a cliché).

Anyway, his job is to sell guns. If you think it’s too dangerous to sell guns to people, you have to blame politics, not the gun-store owner. He’s just operating in the context of a society that has the second amendment.

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