phobias and biases

Rating: Null/10 (5 June 2008)

Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) is a television personality in Kazakhstan. His government sends him to the United States of America to learn culture and report about the "greatest country in the world."
However, Borat's naive-stupid sexism and colonial mind bring him more trouble than cultural acceptance. Borat's disinterest in pursuing their assignment as he diverts to finding and marrying Pamela Anderson provides the narrative impetus for the Borat adventure in the American subcultures.
Not like us? Borat is a Saddam look-a-like, impoverished and chauvinist. He is a graphic example of a man trapped in his own world of phobias and biases while attempting to learn "civilization" from the "great nation of America."
Poking on our phobias, the film allows the audience to experience learning together with Borat. It becomes a powerful tool to show how the great cultural empire and land of freedom is likewise enmeshed in its own prejudices and cultural moral contradictions.
It allows us to look at ourselves through the Borat mirror and realize that we all have prejudices, that we all tend to 'judge a book by its cover' -- even if we claim to be civilized members of society who advocate equality and humaneness.
I admit that before seeing the movie, I feared if I had the persevering tolerance for whatever racist or sexist joke I will hear from Borat. Later on, I saw myself laughing at all the jokes that Borat throws at his audiences while realizing my own prejudices in the process.
The film spurs a popular, worldwide cultural debate that crosses human-made boundaries of religion, nation, culture, societal norms and standards as well as bases of discrimination such as class, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, work and so on. It asks us to see ourselves. Realize and laugh at our prejudiced tendencies. Across cultures, we love to hate those we see as prejudiced against us but we refuse to see and hear our own prejudices.
At the film's conclusion, Borat brought prostitute Luenelle to Kazakhstan as his wife. All his funny talk about prostitutes and sex in sexist tones did not really affect his perception of Luenelle as a full human being. Luenelle's work was not a problem at all. This is where the filmmakers' intent became very clear: Turn away from discrimination and really see all people as equal, including Borat, gays, blacks and prostitutes.
Changing this world necessitates that we all look at ourselves first and know our own phobias, biases and impositions on how fellow humans should look, act or speak. The film's approach in exposing prejudice across cultures is brave and effective. Choosing the American subcultures as templates of cultural trappings in many parts of the world simply fits.
Every adult should see this film. Anyone too "Boratophobic" to do so should not expect that this phobic and conflict-ridden world will change within his/her lifetime.