The meaning behind Borat

For make benefit pro-Semitic message

By Aaron Solin
From the December 2006 Print Edition

Borat Sagdiyev hails from the town of Kusek, Kazakhstan, and immediately informs the audience he likes us … and that he also likes sex (because it "is nice").

Who is this primitive man from a primitive village, and what would compel him to inform us of his fondness for sex? The answers to these two questions are the driving force for the mock-umentary entitled Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

For those unaware, Borat is not a real person — he is the anti-Semitic, misogynistic, sex-obsessed, racist brainchild of Cambridge-educated British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Furthermore, the film is not Borat’s U.S. debut, as Borat is one of three idiosyncratic characters played by Baron Cohen on HBO’s cult hit "Da Ali G Show."

The premise of the film is that Borat, a reporter for Kazakh television, has traveled to New York City with his producer, Azamat Bagatov, under meager funding from the Kazakh Ministry of Information, in order to learn why America is such a great country. However, the project turns south (geographically, at least) when Borat discovers Pamela Anderson of "Baywatch." He learns — from a group of feminists no less — that Pamela is located in Los Angeles. Borat decides to reroute the documentary’s path through the South in order to marry Pamela (and "uncork" her). Then Borat truly begins learning what America is about.

Naturally, the two mustachioed foreigners do not realize their new course takes them through the part of the country that was still heavily segregated until almost a century after the Civil War ended. This was a clever move by Baron Cohen because Borat is possibly the most backward character in movie history, ripe for being misunderstood. However, concealed amid the humorous mismatch between Southern and "Kazakh" culture is a serious political message.

Borat’s defining characteristic is his anti-Semitism, yet his creator is a devout Jew. One of the strongest political statements in the movie comes when Borat and Azamat decide to drive across America instead of flying, lest the "Jews restage their attack of 9/11." For most Americans, the humor in the joke is derived from its absurdity. But the joke is not just another jab at the purportedly uncivilized and naive culture of Kazakhstan — it is actually a dig at a popularly held view in the Arab world.

Borat also tells us that, as a reporter, he has covered the "Running of the Jew" for Kazakh television. It is during this race that Kazakh runners are chased by creatures resembling monsters from the popular children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. The monsters chase money, and the female Jews literally lay "Jew eggs." It has been suggested by some, including the Anti-Defamation League that the anti-Semitic humor in Borat is reckless, but this is clearly not the case. The humor in the movie is so outrageous that it poses no real danger; it serves to reveal the true intent of the artist.

Still, is it reasonable to assume most audiences understand the satirical aspects of the movie? Unfortunately, even educated movie critics have been unwilling to give every satirical joke a pass. The people who grasp the film’s message most accurately are those who are already comfortable with satire. It is disheartening that the most effective way to disseminate a pro-Semitic view to a mass audience is through a movie like Borat, but if people need to be shocked in order to understand their prejudices, then so be it.

Borat is a film that simultaneously pokes fun at Americans’ awkwardness and apprehensiveness in dealing with foreigners, and shocks audiences into examining anti-Semitism, yet accomplishes its goals in a mostly light-hearted manner. It is hard to imagine a comedy that has been crafted more thoughtfully. In fact, it is difficult to think of any movie that has dealt with such serious topics so deftly. Borat may go down as the funniest movie in history, but it will likely be remembered for something more important than its humor.

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