Indy Media Watch

You can't write comedy like this.

Borat is really British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, and he has gotten well under Kazakhstan's skin with his spoof portrayal of a Kazakh news reporter.

Maybe it's because he showed up for the premiere of his new movie in a cart, apparently being pulled by Kazakh peasant women.

Maybe it's because he has said that homosexuals in Kazakhstan had to wear blue hats.

Maybe it's his attitude toward women.

So wounded have the Kazakhs been by the image of their country that Borat presents that the former Soviet republic has taken out expensive spreads in major newspapers extolling the virtues of their developing land. They've also dispatched senior diplomats to refute the suggestion that they can't take a joke.

"This may seem funny to them, but some will not take it as very much funny," says Erlan Idrissov, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Great Britain.

I think it is very much funny!

However, I also take my (not blue) hat off to Kazakhstan for not rioting, burning buildings or killing anybody over this. As pissed off as they may be, at least they can take a joke. Who knows, I may even visit there one day.

Update: Via comments:

I don't think it a case of "they can take a joke" as opposed to Muslims not being able to.

He's right. I no longer take my hat off to Kazakhstan. Screw Kazakhstan. Oh yeah!