Borat is our favorite culturally insensitive, pseudo-spokesman for a little-known country who doesn’t want a culturally insensitive pseudo-spokesman yapping his mouth off and otherwise belittling them.
The country of Kazakhstan, which Borat lampoons, has made their dislike for the comedian very clear by threatening lawsuits and censoring his website. But now, government officials are trying a new tactic – invite him to their country with open arms, shower him with love, and, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Rakhat Aliyev, show him that in Kazakhstan “women drive cars, wine is made of grapes, and Jews are free to go to synagogues.”
Hmm… this sounds all very suspicious. Kazakhstan is a dictatorship that has been ruled by Nursultan Nazarbayev since 1990 and suffers from censorship and human rights abuses. Inviting Borat to visit makes me think of the Soviet era when dissidents were invited back under some we-forgive-you pretense; most were never heard from again.
I’m also assuming that regular, rank-and-file Kazakhs probably don’t appreciate Borat making fun of their country either. Showing up in character in Kazakhstan would be like Al Jolson appearing in black-face at a Black Panthers function.
But then again, we all know that stereotyping nationalities is based upon ignorance. And the best way to destroy ignorance about foreign countries we know nothing about, is simply to visit them.
Nonetheless, if Borat actually accepts the invitation, I’m sure he’ll simply come back with even more comedic material to work with. I’ve been myself and believe me, Borat’s comedic reserves will be quickly filled to the brim.