Has anyone else seen the Borat movie? The racism gets noticed

[cally]

but not the sexism. I read, maybe perused, the news about the drunk frat boys and their racism. My 16 yr old saw the movie and I asked her about the racism but she said that she didn't recall that. She did notice that they were sexist idiots. I wondered that she had missed the racism until I saw the movie. The scene with the frat boys showed how much hatred of women they had. These men had no respect or caring for women. Most of the scene evolved around this and then the infamous line about how the frat boy wished there was still slavery. I'm appalled that anyone would want a return to slavery, but I'm still dumbfounded that the misogyny has not been discussed much. Are we all so used to it, that we don't get appalled anymore?

[ThomCat]

1. Sexist people won't complain about sexism.

And there is no shortage of sexists.

My coworkers have been raving about that damned movie. They think it's hillarious and say that anyone who gets offended just has has no sense of humor.
x(

[cally]

5. Some of it is very funny. Not all, though

I find it annoying when somehow we are to blame when we don't find something funny that others do.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

2. The misogyny of those boys was way more prominent than the racism, IMO

I agree with you that what they said viz. slavery was unconscionable but I noticed how they were trashing women from the get-go. Not only is that sort of thing tolerated, people tend to think it's cute. "Boys will be boys" "They'll grow out of it" and all that nonsense. And then you have media figures like Howard Stern and his ilk reinforcing it.

Trust me, I've been in male-dominated work environments for 20 years now and I can tell you that, with few exceptions, they don't grow out of it. They'll mute the behavior out of concern for their jobs and/or marriages but the attitudes remain and get passed on to their sons.

I'd like to add my $.02 about Borat, if I may. I saw the movie and found some scenes hilariously funny, despite my revulsion. The movie is brilliant satire with a sharp point. It is not a light comedy by any stretch of the imagination. It reveals some pretty ugly truths about American culture that most of us here on DU are keenly aware of but that mainstream folks are largely oblivious to. My biggest problem with the movie, aside from the sexism, was the way he exploited the Eastern European extras. That was pretty shitty.

[cally]

6. I agree. The satire was sharp and very funny

What I find fascinating and repugnant is that so few notice the misogyny. I'm concerned about the villagers but I don't know enough about what they agreed to or were paid.

[bliss_eternal]

3. I've noticed that, too...

Sad, isn't it? In the scenes from the film that were previewed by the media, there are some blatantly sexist scenes. The whole thing just didn't seem like something I would find funny or entertaining, particularly the sexist exchanges I saw. But I've noticed--no mention of it on DU. Color me surprised. lol.

Thanks for bringing it up. It's good for us to discuss this stuff and the context of how (or if) it's discussed on DU.
:hi:

[cally]

4. Some of the movie was very funny

It's not the type of humor I usually enjoy, but some of this movie was hilarious. I'm uncomfortable with the sexism and the portrayal of the villagers.

On a personal basis, I find it interesting that my daughter pretty much predicted how I would react. It's uncomfortable to realize how predictable I am.

[bliss_eternal]

7. That's funny. LOL!

Your daughter nailing your reaction. ;) I know what you mean about it not being something you would usually enjoy. Sometimes watching stuff like that, I get so pissed--as I'm laughing in spite of myself. Don't know if I'm mad at them or me for finding something I don't think I should think is funny. :shrug:

I may have to see Borat at some point. Maybe when it makes home video.

[ismnotwasm]

8. Is it worth seeing?

I'm not a movie person, so it would be out on DVD by the time I saw it. My general impression is that it's racist AND sexist, and not the kind of humor I enjoy--I don't like seeing people get humiliated so I can laugh at them for instance.

On the other hand, a friend was telling me it was very, very funny, more about people's reactions to outrageous behavior than the behavior itself. I don't know. Let me know, Ok?:-)

[cally]

9. I don't know

I went to see it because of all the hype. Much of it was very funny. I found some scenes hilarious. Some of it is very racist and sexist. I tend to have a low tolerance for that type of humor so I wouldn't choose to see the movie if I had to do it over again but most people would see it differently.

[melnjones]

10. as of right now, i refuse to see it.

I have seen some clips from the movie on youtube and I just don't think I'd be able to handle the whole movie. Yes, there is some incredibly funny stuff there, and I think the anti-semitic part of Borat's character is pretty funny once you realize that the actor himself is Jewish, but I have some issues with the rest of it...

-The misogyny is unbelievable and constant, but it is brushed over by the public without a second thought.
-It's really crappy to portray nationals from a specific country in such a way...I would have prefered he invented a country that sounds like it could be a real country. Americans wouldn't know the difference anyway.
-I really hate that it is somehow acceptable for non-westerners to make all these sexist and racist remarks...it's like we hold non-westerners to a different standard. We're all human for crying out loud, and it's racist to asssume that because we are Americans or westerners that we are just naturally less racist and sexist than other cultures. History would prove differently.