America. What a country. Am I right? It's so damn free (for white straight males) that it's easy to forget how the myth of American exceptionalism is bought sold and distributed en masse. In the main stream American media landscape it's downright rare to encounter a true skewering of what it is we get up to here and abroad. (I'm looking at you Operation Iraqi Freedom) 
 With this in mind I thought it apropos to post for your viewing pleasure a scene from the brilliant gonzo documentary Borat. If you are not familiar with Borat allow me to give you a little backstory. The character of Borat is played Andy Kaufman style by the talented Sasha Baron Cohen. His character is purportedly from Kazakhstan (thank God he's not an Uzbek asshole) and most of the schtick is him travelling around the world, lampooning various cultures and celebrities who think that he is truly a misguided Kazakh reporter. Through this guise he exposes many of his subjects as racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, ya know- the good stuff. 
  In this scene, Borat is bestowed the great honor of singing the national anthem at a Rodeo- the center of good ole American fun (and clowns and racism and I assume racist clowns). He begins by rousing the audience through a wild ode to the USA- enjoy watching what they cheer for! I believe this is another example of queered performative speech- given that many a bible belt anthem/concert/rally/nascar race has started with chants of USA and how we are the greatest country in the world. He then goes on to sing the American national anthem with new lyrics describing that in fact, Kazakhstan is the best country in the world. This hurts the mythos carried by all of the tuk-ar-job buddies in the audience that it is fact America that is the best country in the world and all hell breaks loose. Please- you see (borat voice)

Comments

  1. DharmikJanuary 25, 2018 at 7:22 PM

    What's telling about this scene, and the movie as a whole, is that a lot of it was filmed as if "Borat" was real person. The reaction of some these people reminds me of some of the reactions to Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign. All of the awful things that he described is received so well and because it was pro-America and it was almost the same as Trump yelling at people about building a wall. It also reminds me of Sarah Palin screaming that Trump will "let our warriors do their jobs and kill ISIS!!!!!" But as soon as the words to the U.S. National Anthem are changed then all gloves are off? In a way this is a weird example of group-think and/or mob mentality. Then again, there was that one guy who was kind of hesitant from the beginning as he sort of claps and discusses it with his wife. It's definitely an interesting example from a hilarious movie!

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