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Comments about "On Global Affairs: The new Anti-Imperialism"


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7 Comments on this article:

Report as: spam offensive Lazer Foxx on 11/06/06 at 9am

excellent ponit. this is my beef with cohen (and this type of comedy in general). it is mean-spirited from the outset and i don't beleive the people laughing are really "getting" what he is satirizing. at least with him you have a huge talent at work--most "guerrilla comedy" is even worse.

Report as: spam offensive Lazer Foxx on 11/06/06 at 9am

ah geez, i misspelled several words in that post.

Report as: spam offensive BadgerNation on 11/06/06 at 11am

The new anti-imperialism, eh? I guess that explains why the feminists I knew in college so opposed American action in Afghanistan that that dissolved the fiercly misogynistic Taliban government. We asked them why it was bad for women to get their rights back, and they howled about American hubris and imperialism. Their "shame" of being American somehow seemed to trump the liberation of an oppressed country.

Report as: spam offensive Darren on 11/06/06 at 12pm

I dunno, man, I'm suspicious about ascribing some kind of deeper meaning to comedy, since all good comedy is essentially about deconstructing any meaning - political, ideological, religious - to the point of absurdity. I don't think it's constructive to think of the frat boys as "evil," since all they really are is stupid, just like everyone who still believes in racism, sexism, or homophobia. It sounds like what you're suggesting is this: after sharing beer with the frat boys and getting all kinds of horrific lines out of them, Baron Cohen suddenly pulls off his mustache, stares at the camera, and says, "Kids, racism is bad." That's a "The More You Know" ad. Anyone old enough to watch Borat will either get the joke, or they won't, and I don't think it's the comedian's job to convince you of why he's funny. Of course, humor is entirely subjective - most film critics think "Borat" is one of the funniest movies in years.

Report as: spam offensive Elliot on 11/06/06 at 6pm

"When will the average American realize that Feminism is the new anti-imperialism?"
"the film itself showcases exactly the sort of people who will misunderstand the very ways it is mocking them"
Your concern for people stupider than you is touching, but to me it comes off like the crass intellectual imperialism that makes most Americans hate the Left. (Refer to the 2000 and 2004 elections for the ramifications of this attitude).

Report as: spam offensive Joe Public on 11/06/06 at 6pm

I'm male. I view women strictly as sex objects, and I harbor no delusions to the contrary, I am not alone in that regard. Now having that out let me ask you, why I should care about female circumcision, feminism, abortion etc? If women want to improve their collective well-being why don't THEY do so? Why must uninterested men be forced to participate in this. I'm going to see the movie, laugh for the "wrong" reasons, and continue to not give a damn about the impotent whining of a bunch bitches unable to do anything more productive with their lives than gripe about this injustice or that injustice.

Report as: spam offensive Darius on 11/06/06 at 9pm

By this attitude, clearly Huckleberry Finn should be condemned. You say that the artist has a responsibility to make his very stupidest consumers realize the stupidity of their position, but this seems a rather extraordinary obligation in comparison to say, teachers and parents and the person himself. Borat is funny because the people are self-evidently ridiculous; if you cannot realize it, it's your own damn fault. Also, the question, "when will Americans realize feminism is the new anti-imperialism" gives far too much credit to Americans; we as a nation have not quite figured out the old imperialism.




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