Here is another unintended consequence of Germany’s well-intentioned effort to ban hate speech:
A human rights group campaigning for gypsies has filed a complaint against British comic Sacha Baron Cohen over his "Borat" film featuring a spoof Kazakh journalist who calls himself a former "gypsy catcher," German prosecutors said.
The state prosecutor’s office in the northern city of Hamburg said the European Center for Antiziganism Research had brought the complaint accusing Cohen of slander, inciting violence against the Sinti and Roma gypsy groups and violating Germany‘s anti-discrimination law.
I haven’t seen the film, but Sacha Baron Cohen is a hilarious comedian who doesn’t shy away from insulting anyone and everyone. This complaint was filed in accordance with laws in Germany meant to suppress right-wing extremist speech.
Germany has strict rules governing speech that could been seen as defaming minorities, particularly groups such as Sinti and Roma that were targeted for genocide by the Nazis.
You can read an interview in the Tageszeitung with the plaintiff here.
These restrictions on free speech are unnecessary. The fact that they are now invoked to block distribution of a movie is particularly unfortunate.
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dies sind die momente, in denen man einmal mehr feststellen kann, dass die deutschen ein zutiefst humorloses volk sind. kein mensch kann wirklich und ernsthaft glauben, dieser film sei etwas anderes, als ein einziger bloedsinn, der uns lachen machen soll. und wer einen anderen humor hat, soll nicht hingehen und derweil einen politisch korrekten schafwollpullover stricken.
aber nein: wir klagen ja so gerne! als lamento oder gleich vor gericht.
Der Vertreter der Roma und Sinti sagt in dem Taz Interview:
“Wie absurd ist dieser Charakter für Zwölfjährige, die mit Ressentiments gegen Sinti und Roma aufwachsen? Deswegen mussten wir reagieren. Das dürfte speziell in Deutschland mit seiner NS-Vergangenheit nicht als Scherz durchgehen.”
Borat ist i.d.T. in deutschen Kinos zugelassen ab 12 Jahren.
Auch manche ältere Kinobesucher werden nicht Cohen’s eigentliche Gesellschaftskritik erkennen, sondern sich freuen, dass bestimmte Tabus gebrochen werden; sie werden sich nach dem Kinobesuch eher trauen, antisemitische, rassistische, antiziganische Witze zu reissen.
Borat zeigt ja in seinem Film, wie dumm manche Amerikaner sind und wie gerne sie mitklatschen, wenn Borat singt, dass die Juden ins Meer getrieben werden sollen. Sie haben nicht gemerkt, dass Borat sie vorführt. Solche Leute werden den Film ja auch sehen. Sie werden Cohen’s eigentliche Kritik nicht erkennen.
Naja, ich habe den Film noch nicht gesehen. Mal sehen.
Ich kann mir auch nicht vorstellen, dass der der Klage der Roma und Sinti stattgegeben und der Film verboten wird.
Die Anti-Defamation League in den USA hat doch auch geklagt gegen den Film?
Ab welchem Alter ist der Film in den USA zugelassen?
Wenn davon ausgegangen wird, dass ein nakter Busen die Jugend verdirbt, dann waere es nur konsequent, wenn…
“Ab welchem Alter ist der Film in den USA zugelassen?”
Rating ist “R” – d.h. unter 17 jahren nur unter begleitung eines erwachsenen zugelassen.
“Solche Leute werden den Film ja auch sehen. Sie werden Cohen’s eigentliche Kritik nicht erkennen.”
Naja,es gibt leider kein hilfsmittel gegen dummheit!
You sound much more relaxed now than in your post “Democracy Under Siege in East Germany.”
Wrong impression?
There’s a big difference between speech and action. Extremist violence needs to be prosecuted relentlessly. But speech – even hate speech – should be protected at all costs.
I have also always been against the call for a “Parteiverbot” for the NPD. What are your thoughts on a “Parteiverbot”?
I don’t call for a Parteiverbot.
Yes, there is a big difference between speech and action, but speech encourages action.
Borat breaks down a taboo. After watching Borat, some folks will think that it is okay to make racist jokes. Thus they will dare to make racist jokes in public.
Such jokes then encourage political statements.
And political statements then encourage violence.
Again, I am not saying Borat should be banned, because free speech is important.
Perhaps Borat should get a restricted label in Germany as well rather than a PG label. (12 years that is PG, right?)
And I think the media should not advertise for Borat.
The media says that Borat is funny, thus some stupid folks (kids and adults) might think that making jokes of women, Jews, Sinti and Roma is aceptable. I might be wrong. The majority will hopefully realize that Cohen is criticizing the folks who love about the jokes.
You wrote that “Democracy [is] Under Siege in East Germany.”
If the situation is really as bad as you say it is (I disagree with you), then that would mean, that drastic action is needed and that is not acceptable that Borat encourages a few people to start to make racist jokes in public.
The concerns of the sinti and roma should be taken serious:
Der Vertreter der Roma und Sinti sagt in dem Taz Interview:
“Wie absurd ist dieser Charakter für Zwölfjährige, die mit Ressentiments gegen Sinti und Roma aufwachsen? Deswegen mussten wir reagieren. Das dürfte speziell in Deutschland mit seiner NS-Vergangenheit nicht als Scherz durchgehen.”
And Sasha Cohen is not a good comedian at all – he only became big through his BBC scriptwriters who invented the whole Ali G thing for him. At least watch the early Borat episodes to understand how limited and autistic this guy really is. He can only survive by escalating the same “acting dumb” jokes to a white trash audience on US cable.
Rootless Cosmopolitan is a great blog by Tony Karon of Time Magazine.
Conclusion of his “Borat’s Not Funny” post:
“And I can entirely sympathize with the exasperation of the Kazakh government in having to respond to this nonsense.
Let’s just say Baron needs to go back to Oxford and learn a little history — he might learn that over the long haul of Jewish history, we’ve done a lot better under Islamic rule than we’ve fared in the Christian West. Then again, if Sascha Baron Cohen did a skit of some provincial Catholic bishop singing “throw the Jew down the well”, he wouldn’t be opening his movie all over America right now.”
http://tonykaron.com/2006/11/03/sorry-sascha-but-borats-not-funny/
Real life Borat:
http://www.istanbul.tc/mahir/mahir/
Thanks for the link but the film opened as #1 this weekend, taking in over $25M. The verdict is in: Americans find Cohen funny!
Humour at the expense of others is as old as humanity. Someone should film Cohen being thrown down a well. I’d laugh.
Humour at the expense of others is as old as humanity. Someone should film Cohen being thrown down a well. I’d laugh.
Ali G Jew
I didnt know whether to laugh or be very afraid when he had the whole country bar si
Lachen
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