Borat's "Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" has been the subject of much hype ever since it graced the screens at the Toronto International Film Festival, but is it really all that it's cracked up to be? There is much debate on the apropriateness of this tres taboo flick, complete with racial stereotyping, sexist slurs, and out right fakery.

Borat, played by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, is a Kazak reporter who travels to America in search of cultural teachings. Personally I love this narrative, as it seems to take something very traditional and expose it for its ridiculousness. America is always portrayed as a haven of freedom, democracy, and hegemonic culture. What is American suposively stands for the best the world has to offer; Rock and Roll, Hip Hop, Hollywood, and Apple Pie. As we can see from Borat's experience, America is not as perfect as it is made out to be. Of course most of us know this in the back of our heads. All around the world people are starting to majorly hate on America.

From This Hour has 22 Minutes sketch Talking to Americans to Jerry Springer, one can see that America is not as perfect as it says it is. Stereotypes abound, America is a lot more complex than the world may think. Like any country, there are good people, and bad people. I think that the major difference is that most countries aren't world super powers, so the USA has a little bit more to live up to these days.

So how does this incredibly racist mocumentary challange racist stereotypes? By using every single one in the book. I went to the theatres the second week Borat came out, on a Monday afternoon. Instead of being in a packed theatre, there were maybe 8 other people sharing the screen with my partner and I. I found that we were sometimes the only people laughing, most oddly enough at the jokes that were directed at our people, the Jews! Jews love Ali G, straight up. For some reason seeing horribly Anti-Semetic gags strikes me as being a subversive discourse. By showing how racist America is, we can laugh at racism, making it into a spectical to be made fun of.

This being said, there are still many things about this film that are disturbing. Did the people in the small Romanian village where it was filmed know that they're going to be subtitled in the way that they are? People participate in the film gladly, but do they see the edited version before it hits the theatres?

In the end, as we partake in racist discourse we end up ultimately being the brunt of the joke. Below is my favorite Borat clip from the Ali G Show: "Throw the Jew in the Well" As a jew I think that this clip is totally hillarious, as everyone in the room starts singing along. Hating jews shouldn't be funny, but the fact that people still do and can sing along without blinking is a little bit ridiculous. Racism still exists in America, and it is alive now more than ever. I think that clips like this alow us to see racism for what it is, just plain silly!

Turns out I'm going to Costa Rica afterall! What exciting news. This means I have major work to do on my thesis project though. From everything that I've read about Costa Rica it sounds like an amazing country. It seems very safe and beautiful from the descriptions I've read. I like that there is public healthcare there, like in Canada, and that the country seems to put a high value on conservation. I've heard that there are great vegetarian restaurants in San José, which is the city where I will be living for three months. Now I just need to find an apartment. Anyone have any leads? I looked at a beautiful apartment online on some ex-patriate website that was in a historical building, for only $350 USD. That is sooooo cheap compared to Toronto. I'm hoping that I can live in a nice place close to my new work at Defensa de los Niños Internacional. I will be helping them develop their website and do other tech support activities. Seems like this program is really similar to ArtsBridge, in that it sometimes uses the arts to engage youth.

esta noche miré una película se llama monde cane. he visto muchas veces, pero esta vez fue muy buena. la película es de unos chavos italianos, y es sobre las custumbres globales. tiene rituales de todo del mundo, como panteons de mascotes, y restaurantes que se vende carne de perros. la pelí tiene todo de los opuestos de la vida. es un "ethnography" de cine, lo que hace significas grandes de la vida normal. me gusta esta película porque es muy extraño. está mezclada todas las culturas, y es muy rara.