Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film, Bruno, premiered in theaters on Friday to mixed reviews. Several were offended by the admittedly provocative antics of Cohen onscreen. But was it offending the wrong people?
Scores of people from the gay community have voiced their distaste for Cohen’s depiction of homosexuals in the movie, fearing that his behavior perpetuates common stereotypes and strengthens homophobic tendencies. A scene where Bruno treats a baby like an accessory has especially angered some, in a time when the gay community is having difficulty gaining adoption rights.
Others disagree, saying Bruno’s character is an obvious cartoon version of the ridiculous stereotypes that have been wrongly placed on homosexuals.
But in the end, Bruno is a comedy, so is it funny? And if so, do we laugh more from satire or sheer shock value?
Here to discuss these questions and more we have Richard Kim of The Nation, Antoine B. Craigwell of GBMNews.com, and Shawn Edwards creator of www.iloveblackmovies.com and contributor at FoxTV.
Cohen substitutes vulgarity for wit.
Working with teens I see that they get the worst racist and homophobic stereotypes reinforced by this so called comedian.
By Zontar on July 17th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno is simple exploitation of the masses using what I term gladiator themes.
In the Roman Colosseum, gladiators and criminals were eaten, brutalized, destroyed and it was all in fun and for the entertainment of the masses. In our capitalist Hollywood spectrum, the targets are not really criminals or lions, or beast; Instead, they are the socially criticized groups…the weakest link in our sick cultere. It’s the Jews, the blacks, the indians, the homosexuals etc. that are entered into this American Colosseum of ours via the movie screen. In this guys last movie, it was making fun of moslems. With this movie, Bruno, it seems he wants to make an easy dollar at the expense of all the homosexuals…at least that is what the critics are saying. I have not seen the movie but I would spend a dime on something like this.
Tomorrow, Hollywood will be ridiculing and villainizing a new group of targets and I suspect these sort of films will draw huge crowds desiring a cathartic reaction. Maybe they will start making fun or people with Torrets syndrome or midgets or perhaps they will make a movie about deaf mutes. What is sad is that large masses of americans will get their kicks ridiculing and demonizing this or that group and calling the movie they see “funny and hilarious.”
Sometime after 200 or 300 years of this fun, the Romans gave this genre of entertainment up? Maybe, the empire collapsed on itself because it produced, after a while, only morons. In any event, gladiator entertainment is entertainment that requires the destruction or assassination of others for the entertainment of the masses. This is what is happening here in America.
If you pay money for this kind of entertainment, you are just a sucker. More than that, I heard it from a roman’s mouth in the days of Vaspasian that this form of entertainment is more addictive than any drug you could take. Once you have been smitten, you will never stop going. You will always find the slaughter of others “fun and entertainment?” For a country that prides itself on human rights and the dignity of man, the human demand for this kind of entertainment will never quench the thirst and lust. Americans will become a slave to it.
If anyone thinks I err, let them be made fun of, in their dress, in their looks, in their hair etc. or in a behavioral quirk of theirs. How would they react to being made fun of.
Bob Grant used to say, their sick and getting sicker. I say, America is sick and getting sicker.
By Neanderthal7 on July 17th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno is simple exploitation of the masses using what I term gladiator themes.
In the Roman Colosseum, gladiators and criminals were eaten, brutalized, destroyed and it was all in fun and for the entertainment of the masses.
In our capitalist Hollywood spectrum, the targets are not really criminals or lions, or beast; Instead, they are the socially criticized groups…the weakest link in our sick cultere. It’s the Jews, the blacks, the indians, the homosexuals etc. that are entered into this American Colosseum of ours via the movie screen. In this guys last movie, it was making fun of moslems. With this movie, Bruno, it seems he wants to make an easy dollar at the expense of all the homosexuals…at least that is what the critics are saying. I have not seen the movie but I would not spend a dime on something like this.
Tomorrow, Hollywood will be ridiculing and demonizing a new group of targets and I suspect these sort of films will draw huge crowds desiring a cathartic reaction. Maybe they will start making fun or people with Torrets syndrome or midgets or perhaps they will make a movie about deaf mutes. What is sad is that large masses of americans will get their kicks ridiculing and laughing at this or that group and calling the movie they see “funny and hilarious.”
Sometime after 200 or 300 years of this fun, the Romans gave this genre of entertainment up? Maybe, the empire collapsed on itself because it produced, after a while, only morons. In any event, gladiator entertainment is entertainment that requires the destruction or assassination of others for the entertainment of the masses. This is what is happening here in America.
If you pay money for this kind of entertainment, you are just a sucker. I once read roman’s account in the days of Vaspasian that this form of entertainment is more addictive than any drug you could take. He said he would never attend the Colleseum but, by some accident, he went and then claimed that once you have been smitten, you will never stop going. You will always find the slaughter of others “fun and entertainment?”
For a country that prides itself on human rights and the dignity of man, the human demand for this kind of entertainment will never quench the thirst and lust. Americans will become a slave to it.
If anyone thinks I err, let them be made fun of, in their dress, in their looks, in their hair etc. or in a behavioral quirk of theirs. How would they react to being made fun of. Bob Grant used to say, their sick and getting sicker. I say, America is sick and getting sicker.
By Neanderthal7 on July 17th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Politically correct German education officials have ordered a character called Bruno in a new children’s book to be renamed Aydan.
Officials in Hamburg were reportedly unhappy at having a character with the same name as Sacha Baron Cohen’s Nazi-praising Austrian journalist Bruno.
They also wanted something that would not offend the Muslim community, and so chose the Turkish name Aydan.
They have also demanded that more Muslim characters be put in and that women have equal character status as men in the stories and said that disabled people must also feature in the book.
The book, The Adventures of Aydan, is described as “an attempt to bring dull topics such as politics and democracy closer to kids”.
Hello,
I am a British artist and writer living in the mountains of Granada, Southern Spain.
I have just found on the internet the the news item above and I am concerned because I have recently written and illustrated two children’s books which have just been published in the USA. They are innocent little tales and it was never my intention that they should cause offence to anyone.
However, like the German book, the hero in one of them, The Wise Old Boar, is called Bruno. When I named him, I had never heard of Sacha Baron Cohen’s character. Also, it never occurred to me that the fact that Bruno is a boar might offend the Muslim community. In the mountains where I live they are very common animals.
Does this mean my book will be banned?
Will a fatwah be issued against me?
To support my innocence I can email you the pdf file of the book.
Help!
Margaret Merry
By MargaretMerry on July 18th, 2009 at 10:20 am
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