Students, faculty debate controversial 'Borat' film

Students and faculty debated the merits of the controversial film "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" Thursday evening as they discussed its portrayal of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. \nThe film, which came out early this month, has caused a stir across the nation and on campus. It stars Sacha Baron Cohen, a British comedian, as a Kazakh journalist who comes to America to learn about the culture. Some say they feel the comedic film portrays stereotypes in a way that crosses the line between humor and insult. \nCentral Eurasian studies professor William Fierman, who is also the director of the IU Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center, visiting Kazakh scholar Zaure Batayeva and graduate student and Kazakh Student Association President Gaziz Shakhanov addressed the main aspects of the film that concern Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Some of the about 20 students and Bloomington residents in attendance came to criticize the film, while others came to defend it, saying that it was made to poke fun at America and should not be taken seriously.\n"When I saw the movie, I very much felt that the jokes were on the Americans and that the whole movie was a big prank on Americans," said graduate student Rafael Murphy. "Every racist and every sexist view that (Cohen) had during this movie was validated by an American that he found. This outrageous character with outrageous views found Americans in the supposedly the most progressive, most liberal country in the world that believed the same things as he did." \nWhile some of those involved in the discussion decided that the movie was not to be taken to heart, there was a fair share of people who said they felt strongly that the movie goes too far. \n"These kind of jokes are not acceptable, even in open societies," Shakhanov said. \nGraduate student Jackson Kellogg, who organized the discussion, said he thinks Kazakhstan is an easy target for Cohen's offbeat humor because the majority of the people in the United States know nothing about the country. \nKellogg said that while "Borat" might display Kazakhstan in a negative light, the film will likely push viewers to learn more about the country.\n"The film provided an opportunity to educate the University about Central Asia," Kellogg said. \nGraduate student Korlan Bektassova, who is of Kazakh heritage, spoke up toward the end of the discussion, saying that the movie was offensive to her but should be ignored because she said she is not trying to take the film personally. \n"If you want to go to the movie, go on, and enjoy it," she said. "People go to movies to have entertainment, and 'Borat' provides it"