This just in

[karohemd]

Borat banned in Russia
*sigh* It's not my kind of humour but I understand the concept behind it so this is going a little too far. :o/

Comments

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Lots of silly things are banned in Russia. I think all those great big gas fields must leak upwards and make them feel a bit funny.

[chrisvenus]

I'm quite surprised at that and the comments from the Kazakhstan government on the BBC page. The ambassador of Kazakhstan was in the oxford union around the time of the premiere and was reported as saying he thought it was quite funny. I wonder if he was in trouble for that then... :)

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Probably. :o)
They should embrace it as free advertising. Funnily enough, the Kazakh government recently released a German "travel guide" that reads as if Borat had written it (there might be an English one, too).

[oedipamaas49.livejournal.com]

by now most of the kazakhs have realised that the way to deal with Borat is to claim to find it funny (whether or not they actually like it). Russia clearly hasn't quite made it yet!

[jholloway.livejournal.com]

It's a very different political climate. They may just be being authoritarian, but there may be larger problems they don't want this aggravating.

[pmoodie.livejournal.com]

I was pretty much expecting that to happen. It's a shame, but it's not a surprise.

[vierkilau.livejournal.com]

I found the movie rather amusing but I can understand why Russians are very proud and trying to restore reputation with the former soviet states

[davedevil.livejournal.com]

Its a cultural issue, we as westerners see the film as what it is taking the piss out of Americans. The Eastern bloc obviously does not which likely has a huge matter to do with language and cultural norms. No one likes having the piss taken out of them relentlessly and the character and movie seems to do that.

[djonma.livejournal.com]

Since everyone was raving about Borat, I had a quick look at his wiki entry.
Turns out his family history is rape, incest, paedophilia.
This is designed to be having a funny view on life?
That's supposed to be funny?

I find that to be disgusting.

[jholloway.livejournal.com]

Not just that, but these are portrayed as the cultural norms of Kazakhstan. Which, to Westerners who are basically laughing at the stereotype of post-Soviet central Asia, is a joke. But one suspects that in actual Kazakhstan, people who are paying attention are maybe a little upset.

Similarly, now is not a good time to be encouraging negative stereotypes of post-Soviet ethnic minorities in Russia, considering recent events.

[oedipamaas49.livejournal.com]

strange and sad - but apparently they're just going to rush out a russian version on DVD, which should be allowed.