Borat and the Polish

I promised to pull together all the anti-Polish stuff going on in the Mail the other day, but I got sidetracked by the Express and it's low down nastiness about Shabnam Mughal.

There have been about 7 anti-Polish stories so far this month in the Mail, but right now I want to focus on 2. ''Polish Borat' claims groping women is normal in Eastern Europe' and 'Borat's guide to Britain'.

Some argue that the genius of the Borat character is that he effortlessly exposes the racism and prejudice of his victims, inviting us to laugh at these misguided morons. Critics argue that the character invites us to laugh at the ridiculous behaviour of a crude stereotyped immigrant. For me, the genius of the cahracter is that he does both. Those in the audience who want to feel superior and laugh at his targets are free to do so, and those who want to laugh at the funny foreigner in his stupid clothes saying stupid things about Jews because that's what stupid foreigners are like can do that too.

Alf Garnett shows that a character set up to challenge prejudice can easily backfire. With Alf, we were invited to laugh at a petty, intolerant man and his stupid ill informed opinions - and some of us did. But 'In Sickness and in Health' was broadcast while I was at school, and the racist kids did the opposite and adopted him as a kind of mascot, quoting his lines whenever they'd get away with it. We were supposed to laugh at him, but too many ended up laughing with him. The opposite is true of Baron Cohen's character. We're supposed to laugh with him as he pokes fun at small minded idiots, but too many are laughing at him, not recognising that it's people like them he's poking fun at.

These two articles illustrate this perfectly. The first ''Polish Borat' claims groping women is normal in Eastern Europe' effortlessly latches onto the laugh at the idiot aspect and applies it to Polish people, effectively saying 'look, foreigners really are like that'. To make sure we don't miss this point, there's a link in the middle to the story 'Britain is the country of choice for many 'feckless' Poles'. Further down we get:

Cohen shot to fame with his controversial Ali G creation before ruffling even more feathers with misogynistic and racist TV presenter Borat Sagdiyev.

The film - Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - portrays the nation's people as urine-drinking, women-caging anti-Semites, whose favourite hobbies are "disco-dancing, archery, rape and table tennis".

Released at the weekend, it shot to number one at the box office both here and in the U.S.

After Stepniowski's conviction, a neighbour said: "He has been living here for about a year or so. I didn't realise his grasp of the differences between Britain and Poland was so poor. You could say he is the Polish Borat."

Another added: "Truth really is stranger than fiction. Who'd have thought a real-life Borat was living here in Weymouth?"

So the connection is made. Polish people are just like Borat. Aren't they funny?

This gets followed up the next day with the second article - 'Borat's guide to Britain'. If there's ever an example of a person not bloody getting the joke, it's this entire story. What the article does do well is expose what a right winger would think the most important aspects of life in Britain are, rather than what the character it's about, or even just an immigrant everyman might think. Remember, this is not what Baron Cohen's character thinks, but what a right wing journalist for the Daily Mail thinks he might think.

Just so we don't forget that this is a dig at Polish people and not just a pisspoor ripoff by someone who fails to grasp the nuances of either the character or humour in general, we get this:

This week, an immigrant who groped nine women was nicknamed the 'Polish Borat' after he told police such behaviour was normal in his country. But what does the original Borat make of Thomasz Stepniowski's antics?

And the crap Borat ripoff starts with:

Is very difficult foreign men to adjust British way of making sexytimes with girlies. Result? Many Poles, Kazakhs, etc in court, just for being friendly!

Now, there is just one at the moment. Not 'many'. And not a single Kazakh. Then we get:

Why this confusion? Simple - in Britain, impossible to tell which girls is prostitutes. In Kazakhstan, respectable girlies wear veil, yashmak, old fertiliser bags, cover heads, body and limbs. All other girlies, not dressed respectable, is prostitutes.

A couple of fantastic right wing zingers in one. Women in the UK dress like prostitutes, so it's their fault men touch them - and the shite about yashmaks, all in one. David Thomas clearly hasn't been paying attention to the character - because when told his moustache makes him look like a Muslim, Borat explains that in Baron Cohen's fictional Kazakhstan, they worship hawk. But never mind. The references to veils are for another dig at women who wear them:

In Britain, some women wear veils, mostly if radical teachers, lawyers etc hoping to get into papers, cause fuss, maybe pick up compensation monies.

Yes, I'm sure that was why they wore veils. Poor Shabna Mughal. She wore the thing for years before anyone bit. And she got no compensation.

Then:

British girlies do not do sexytimes for moneys. Not even for goats. British girlies do sexytimes for free.

A double whammy! Foreign women have sex in exchange for goats, but British ones are slappers! That theme is carried through the next few paragraphs, until:

This when British girlies least keen on sexytimes — when they wakes up, remembering what happens night before, think, "What I done?" Then call police.

They're slappers until they regret it and then falsely cry 'rape'. Charming.Apparently:

In Britain, man is being arrested for:

• Having sex with girlies who too drunk say Yes or No.

• Putting hands on bottoms, boobies girlies without her giving permissions.

• Paying moneys to have sexytimes with girlies.

But if British man is having sexytimes with person who is not a girlie, he not arrested. On contrary, he given contract Channel 4 TV, seat in Parliaments and invitation go swimming with Michaels Barrymore.

Remember, this is what a right winger thinks is important about society. That men can be arrested for non-consensual sex, sexual harrassment or visiting a prostitute, but not for being gay. See:

I know! In Britain, you get arrested if making sexies with girlies. But if making sexies with mens, you get on TV, Big Brother, instant celebrities.

Now you know why birth-rate in Britain so low!

Nice eh? Then:

What to do when First Arrivings

Do not say: "I like very much Britain, long tradition freedom and democracy. Now I hoping work hard, raise family, and celebrate Christmas with all my friends, even the Jews."

If say that, immigration officer reply: "Get lost, mateys, we don't want your kind here!"

Do say: "I HIV-positive hijacker, sex criminal and terrorist fear persecution in own country. Now I hopings buy fake National Insurance number, claim benefits and plotting attacks on infidels, especially Jews."

If you say that, immigration officer reply: "Certainly sir. Just jot your details down here. The Home Office should be able to lose them in a week or two."

Doesn't really need commentary. Just remember, Labour are responsible for legitimising the BNP. The Mail are blameless.

Then:

• Fishings. Is many British people spend all day sitting by rivers, lakes etc fishing. But very important understand: British fish-people never catch anything. So much cross when all carp taken from rivers by Polish fish-people for eatings. Also no good shoot swans. Grouseys and peasants, OK. Swans, bad.

One of their other anti-Polish articles is 'Officials patrol rivers to stop Eastern Europeans eating carp', so that's the relevance of this bit. 'Hang on,' you might say, 'that says Eastern Europeans, not Polish.' You're right. It does. But in the Mail, Eastern European means Polish. That's why this article mentions 'Polish fish-people for eatings'.

The 'Swans bad' bit is a reference to stories about asylum seekers eating swans from a couple of years ago. Stories that turned out to be false and had to be apologised for.

Lastly:

So, British gives you work, benefits, house and opportunities pursue careers in crime, terrorism, importing sex-slaves — no fear arrest or deportation.

This is fantastic country!

This is what the Mail thinks of immigrants. Great eh?