Comments on: Racism, anti-semitism, and comedy http://www.mikegerber.com/2006/12/05/racism-anti-semitism-and-comedy/ Check out new content at Yalerecord.com Sun, 03 Jul 2011 06:47:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Anonymous http://www.mikegerber.com/2006/12/05/racism-anti-semitism-and-comedy/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Anonymous Tue, 09 Jan 2007 08:45:00 +0000 http://www.mikegerber.com/wordpress/?p=727#comment-23 "the joke is the symptom of the disease beneath. ".<br /><br />Brilliant, well said, Mr. Gerber. I <b>really</b> like this entry. I haven't seen Borat yet but I'm definitely going to see it some day. I remember the actor coming to Australia and whoa! He was really sleazy. I get the feeling I won't understand his sense of humour though.<br /><br />Remember blonde jokes? I haven't heard one in a <i>long</i> time, it's considered really rude to say one now.<br /><br />best wishes,<br />Issra A.<br /><br />p.s : Please keep writing, I love reading your blogs. "the joke is the symptom of the disease beneath. ".

Brilliant, well said, Mr. Gerber. I really like this entry. I haven't seen Borat yet but I'm definitely going to see it some day. I remember the actor coming to Australia and whoa! He was really sleazy. I get the feeling I won't understand his sense of humour though.

Remember blonde jokes? I haven't heard one in a long time, it's considered really rude to say one now.

best wishes,
Issra A.

p.s : Please keep writing, I love reading your blogs.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.mikegerber.com/2006/12/05/racism-anti-semitism-and-comedy/comment-page-1/#comment-21 Anonymous Sun, 24 Dec 2006 05:37:00 +0000 http://www.mikegerber.com/wordpress/?p=727#comment-21 I guess if making yourself up as a racist stereotype of one people in order to show how racist other people are towards your people is useful, then Borat is useful. But what if he had dressed himself as say a Nigerian in black-face with the same backwards village ways and maybe a bone through the nose for good measure, would that persona getting people to show off their anti-Semitism be as clever? Or why not a German villager in lederhosen craving wienerschnitzel - wouldn't that be a believable anti-Semite, that unwary foolish Americans might let into their houses?<br /><br />No, Cohen chose a racist stereotype of an Arab Muslim as his model. Kazakhs don't look a thing like Borat, nor do Sudanese and Nigerian Muslims, nor Indo-Pak Muslims, nor do Indonesians and Malaysians. He'd need a whole lot more make-up to play one of them. So he's likely going for an Arab (maybe Turk or Persian) Muslim. And it looks to me like he's getting a free ride playing his own racism out to the fullest while disguising it as a such a clever way of exposing the worst in others.<br /><br />He looks about as funny to me as a black guy disguised as a Jewish racist by wearing a fake hook nose and a yarmulke and continuously running his hands through money and secretly controlling the government. This guy then tricks his way in with some white folks to get them to admit they don't like blacks. Wow so clever! But probably not as amusing to Jews as everyone else. I guess if making yourself up as a racist stereotype of one people in order to show how racist other people are towards your people is useful, then Borat is useful. But what if he had dressed himself as say a Nigerian in black-face with the same backwards village ways and maybe a bone through the nose for good measure, would that persona getting people to show off their anti-Semitism be as clever? Or why not a German villager in lederhosen craving wienerschnitzel – wouldn't that be a believable anti-Semite, that unwary foolish Americans might let into their houses?

No, Cohen chose a racist stereotype of an Arab Muslim as his model. Kazakhs don't look a thing like Borat, nor do Sudanese and Nigerian Muslims, nor Indo-Pak Muslims, nor do Indonesians and Malaysians. He'd need a whole lot more make-up to play one of them. So he's likely going for an Arab (maybe Turk or Persian) Muslim. And it looks to me like he's getting a free ride playing his own racism out to the fullest while disguising it as a such a clever way of exposing the worst in others.

He looks about as funny to me as a black guy disguised as a Jewish racist by wearing a fake hook nose and a yarmulke and continuously running his hands through money and secretly controlling the government. This guy then tricks his way in with some white folks to get them to admit they don't like blacks. Wow so clever! But probably not as amusing to Jews as everyone else.

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