Change is Make Benefit Glorious Blog.

Poopsie and I just saw Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan at the Nickelodeon. Little did we know one of the main characters speaks Armenian throughout the film.

The very "ballsy" role of Borat's sidekick Azamat is played by Armenian actor Ken Davitian, who while supposedly speaking Kazakh is actually speaking Amenian to Borat. (Borat's "Kazakh" is a Hebrew, Polish, Armenian, gibberish.) Poopsie caught on first, but soon even I, with my rudimentary knowledge of Armenian, could recognize phrases Azamat was using, like "let's go," "no," and "very good." By my calculation, the wild and richly deserved success of Borat may make Ken Davitian one of the most famous Armenians who ever lived.

Sacha Baron Cohen takes a lot of heat from Kazakhstan for his Borat character, but White American culture is also a prime target of his satire. The movie deftly teases out mainstream White America's enslavement to conformity, fear of strangers, bigotry and constant readiness to call the cops. Blacks, Gays and Jews in Borat are portrayed more sympathetically. In a subtle nod to his own tribe, Cohen depicts the old Jewish Couple who open their home to Borat and Azamat as the most compassionate characters in the Movie.

This film is great, important art. It is also extremely funny. It might make some people uncomfortable, but there's no need to throw it down the well.

Borat in the Eurasian Blogosphere.