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Letters
Thursday, July 9, 2009 12:00 AM

Why "Brüno" is bad for the gays

Sacha Baron Cohen's character could have been a bold stab at homophobia. Instead it's a mincing minstrel show

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Thursday, July 9, 2009 03:54 PM

translation

i read somewhere that

"este judio hijo de puta se merece irse a la mierda"

pero no entiendo la traduccion, me pueden ayudar?

Thursday, July 9, 2009 03:58 PM

My dear Ktrout,

" Can you seriously see a crowd of Chinese rodeo goers storming the floor and killing him."

Han Chinese seem quite adept at massacring Uighurs.

Do they have rodeos?

Let Cohen go there, set one up for a scene in a film and then mock, insult and taunt a bunch of Han Chinese in the audience. Problem solved.

It is safer to mock and taunt animals in the zoo - unless you get too close and then you might get mauled and eaten.

Thursday, July 9, 2009 04:04 PM

Bruno isn't about gays

It's about how people, Americans, especially those who Cohen takes to be rednecks, conservative, Christian etc would respond to them. Just as "Borat" was about how they would react to a foreigner.

This is covered well at:

http://www.reason.com/news/show/134671.html

Thursday, July 9, 2009 05:28 PM

The Last Slaves In America

Everyone seems to have forgotten that here in America women's wombs are still the province of the government, that 33% of us die at the hands of our mates and that we get no equal protection under the law. As long as women do not have total control of their persons, they remain the indentured servants they were when black men gained suffrage, when the Missouri Compromise failed and when the Dred Scott case was decided. If some agent other than myself can usurp control over my body and all that it implies, am I free?

Thursday, July 9, 2009 05:36 PM

I was trained by some pretty raunchy queens in SF. I love vulgarity,

and I thought Borat was hillarious. But Bruno looks insulting. SBC isn't convincing as a queer. From the commercials, it doesn't seem to have jack to do with gay life or culture. It looks like the same character in Borat. It worked before because Borat was from an unknown backwater. Bruno represents gay men as vulgar, heartless, and ignorant. We are really vulgar, kind, and somewhat educated.

Thursday, July 9, 2009 05:52 PM

After seeing previews for Bruno..

I still find the so-called "fashion experts" on reality shows far more offensive steretoypes.

Thursday, July 9, 2009 05:59 PM

Most of these letters are from San Francisco dwellers

And being I live here too, these are the same responses I hear whenever Howard Stern is mentioned...

People, lighten up. Anybody ever watch Andy Kaufman wrestle women???

Sigh...

Thursday, July 9, 2009 06:11 PM

Bruno is just not terribly funny

It's a wisp of a skit stretched to epic lenght. The confrontations wil real people are a waste (especially Paul Cameron about whom Cohen clearly knows little) and the climax is stolen from "The Magic Christian."

Still it's nowhere NEAR as offensive as "humpday." THAT'S the movie that's bad for the gays.

Thursday, July 9, 2009 07:02 PM

Why does he have to be good for the gays?

Why does he have to be "good" for anybody? Since when is that a comedian's job?

Thursday, July 9, 2009 08:34 PM

stinky

Han Chinese seem quite adept at massacring Uighurs.

Do they have rodeos?

Let Cohen go there, set one up for a scene in a film and then mock, insult and taunt a bunch of Han Chinese in the audience. Problem solved.

As usual, you're able to conflate two completely unrelated topics to fit your twisted little world-view. Let me ask you, off topic, has there a single geo-political happening in the past 50 years that wasn't the result of a vast conspiracy? Never mind.

Perhaps you just don't understand the arguments here. Have you seen any of SBC's early work? I see a lot of people here who, IMHO, either didn't take the time to watch or just have a lame sense of humor. As an example, an early letter writer said that Sweeney Todd and Taladega Nights were better showcases for SBC's talent. 'Nuff said.

But back to the Chinese. You seem to forget that SBC travels around pretending to be a media figure (perhaps you've never seen any of the TV series') and that people are nearly always willing to participate to whatever end. Also, how much interest do you think westerners would take in seeing one of our own attempt to poke fun at the culture of a group of people (the Han, to use your example) that we don't even understand? Sorry, but that wouldn't be amusing in the least. It's more fun to laugh at ourselves, isn't it? So think of it that way.

Is there anything remotely funny to you about the massacre of Uighurs? Do you think it would be funny to fans of SBC?

Thursday, July 9, 2009 08:40 PM

But you raise an interesting point, SS

Let Cohen go there, set one up for a scene in a film and then mock, insult and taunt a bunch of Han Chinese in the audience. Problem solved.

What problem? Please expound.

Do you think he travels around in the U.S. without a security detail? I think I covered that in my penultimate post.

Oh, and is an ostentatious openly gay guy "mocking, insulting, and taunting" to you? Inquiring minds want to know. But if you had ever watched the show, you'd know that he never overtly and maliciously taunts anybody.

As another note to the critics here: I think it's fascinating to some of us to see just how far SBC can go; how much he can get away with, and how much other westerners will LET him get away with - even as he poses as an innocent/ignorant/oblivious fictional character and they're none the wiser.

Thursday, July 9, 2009 11:09 PM

Fags for Bruno !!

Can't wait to see this flick. so tired of fags that take themselves so seriously. great that a straight brit can make being a cock freak fun again.

Thursday, July 9, 2009 11:52 PM

stupid

how is this offensive, stupid jew funny?

Friday, July 10, 2009 12:56 AM

Hey, Racko, your bile is showing

So Rakoff outs himself as a grump in an opus that is perhaps longer than the Bruno screenplay.

Friday, July 10, 2009 03:23 AM

HEll0 everybody. Mr. kreoth is funny man and in espagnol the message is "This Jewish son of

a prostitute deserves to be taken to latrine", E

smeralda is loverly language coach but you are verray angry people all the time. Black Sea too nice for you: Dead Sea in Israel full of salt and you can float while washing out the mouth.

I like West verray much and here in l'Aquila some fine crumpet. Music and cocktails in evening and British from FO like drinks called "Fat Frog" and "Slippery Nipple". My English language teacher who speaks Australian too tells me Brits have much rumpy-pumpy when they get to the Motherland, Russia. All looking at picture of Presdent Obama staring at fine bottom of woman with hair (on head) reaching to waist (or waste). He enjoys view but doesn't know it's Chinese spy Mr. Nanki Piu Pu in disguise as Magda Carta. Verray fine head of hair but I think is wig although bottom is superb from calisthenic exercises. I am indeed hoping to meet Italian Minister for Equal Opportunities, Signorina Mara Cartagna, as she used to be naked model before Italian Prime Minister saw her as big brain. Hope I can woo charming lady but Mr. Nanki Piu Pu (now Magda Carta though that should be Magna) is mad at George Clooney who pinched bottom. Not good actor but was foony in Laurel & Hardy. He had mustache then and hard hat.

Mr. Baron Cohen should go to Italy where nobody would call him "hijo de puta" because THEY speak Italian. No, Mr. Cohen is "hidalgo", excellent family. Bad people here do not like him because you are all Austrians too just like Herr Fritzel.

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