Paul Soglin: Waxing America: Film -
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Published on: 6/7/2006
Last Visited: 8/3/2006
Paul Brummel, new British ambassador to Kazakhstan, has made some comments today, January 31, at a press conference in Almaty, responding to a question on British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen who often performs as a fictional Kazakh journalist, Borat, Kazakhstan Today reports.
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It is first of all directed against the British themselves, Mr. Brummel said.
"(Borat) ... is not to represent Kazakhstan in a bad light through his eccentric antics" Oh?I wonder what he would say if he was trying to portray them in a bad light?
"trying to show ... prejudices still existing in British society."If he was trying show British prejudices, wouldn't Borat focus on British dental hygiene or the Queen's pocketbooks rather than Kazakhs drinking camels milk? or golfing with goats heads?Ok, polo, not golf.
Mr. Brummel said that "we should think more about how vague are ideas of the British about what is Kazakhstan and how little they know about it.It is our common task: for me as for a diplomat and for you as journalists to show to the British and to the Western community what is Kazakhstan in 2006 and how much it is different from how Borat is presenting it," - he said.