I have always detested practical humour as it relies on making people look foolish without their knowledge or consent. Thus, I utterly despised such programmes as Candid Camera and the truly execrable Jeremy Beadle. Now we have Borat.
The makers of the hit film Borat, starring British comedy actor Sacha Baron Cohen, have made a brief appearance in a Los Angeles court.
They are being sued by two young men, featured in the film, who say they were plied with alcohol and duped into making racist remarks.
I don’t find Sacha Baron Cohen remotely funny. His Ali G was tiresome, tedious, unfunny and intellectually lazy. I have no desire to watch this latest effort and will make a point of avoiding it. I have some sympathy with the plaintiffs and hope that they succeed if for no other reason than to send out a message to programme and film makers who regard the general public as fair game for their cheap jokes. However, these two didn’t help themselves over much:
They say the movie’s producers fooled them into signing a release form after being told the film would not be shown in the United States.
Stupidity has its own price. They had an option; don’t sign the release form. They signed – what, I wonder was going on in their tiny minds?
Hi Longrider,
I regularly read your blog and am in agreement regarding most of the points you raise. However, on this one, I cannot agree. I’ve personally found the Ali G character to have been one of the funniest acts I’ve ever seen on National TV (at least up until mid-2000, when the growing National recognition of the character effectively destroyed his ability to be amusing). Similarly, I enjoyed the recent Borat film.
Personally, I find Cohen’s angle of attack on the self-important/obsessed most refreshing. I also think he exposes prejudice and religious bigotry for the utterly ridiculous aspect of human behaviour that it is. He just happens to do it at the expense of the protagonists, and that is something I find hilarious.
That’s just my opinion anyway. I don’t want to get into a big discussion about it, because it’s incredibly subjective. I think you’ll just have to accept that a large number of people enjoy the antics and satire of the Sacha Baron Cohen characters.
Best Regards.
James
You’re quite right; humour is subjective. However, for me there is an ethical element. No matter how bigoted or prejudiced people are, misleading them for the purposes of a cheap joke on a television programme or film is highly unethical and I don’t find it funny – if anything, I get angry at the behaviour.
It’s unlikely that I would find myself in the position of being duped in this way as I wouldn’t respond to any requests to give interviews or partake in surveys of any kind; but should it happen, I would never sign any release allowing the material to be used. Such behaviour is exploitative – even if the victim is a bastard.
Well, I agree with you that Cohen and his ilk are totally unfunny. It is far closer to vindictiveness than to humour.