Tuesday, November 21, 2006

That's the Spirit




Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen makes an unlikely fan—Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan pokes fun of Nazarbayev’s country, making it look like a nation full of racist, sexist, violent, impoverished gypsies.

Cohen plays a Kazakh reporter chosen by the Kazakh government to travel to America and make a documentary in hopes to bring home Western enlightenment. Through his travels, he engages in homosexual acts, gets hammered with sexist frat guys, shares racist remarks with cowboys and has a vicious wrestling match butt-bare-naked with his assistant over the picture of his new love, Pamela Anderson.

But does Cohen’s depiction of Kazakhstan and its people ring in any anger from Nazarbayev?
--------------- Not one bit. -----------
The movie has created an uproar in other countries. Officials banned the movie in Russia, fearing it may offend some ethnic groups. But Nazarbayev has yet to say anything negative about the movie that mocks his country.

It is unclear if Nazarbayev has seen the movie, but he sure does know a lot about it. He says that Cohen has never set foot on Kazakhstan soil and that Cohen actually filmed the movie in impoverished parts of Romania. He also said that the Kazakh gypsies seen in the movie are actually impoverished gypsies from that part of the world.

Nazarbayev laughs at Cohen’s character and the movie Borat. He says he would very much like to speak to him. I’m guessing it is to tell him “thank you” for the ridicule. Like Nazarbayev said, “any publicity is good publicity.”

That’s the spirit Nazarbayev, look at the bright side chum-p!

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