I agree with almost all of this post, gofer. Why all this sympathy for those "nice" doofus/racist/homophobes Cohen makes look bad? Because it's supposed to be "polite" for people to have patience with doofuses, especially when they "nicely" say the opposite things they would like to say, out of propriety? Sorry, but I don't buy that this dishonesty is what 'holds society together.'

Over last weekend, I rewatched some of the episodes of the first de Ali G box set. If the DVD remote turns up--from it's unknown hiding place of exile by my little kids, I will watch more. I was struck by the James Lipton (The Actors Studio) interview by Ali G (aka, Allistar Graham, from Stains suburb, near Windsor Castle, where the diggity queen lives sometimes, etc.). It plays REALLY well, rather like a scripted comedy bit, because Lipton actually listens to (the awful things that) Cohen's character says and responds reasonably..."JESUS! NO! NOOOOO! etc." He even re-writes his own 'rap' at the end, deferring Ali's G's supposedly well-intentioned by cretinous rhyme, with "Shakespeare (and)...not just liked by queers." From some of those SNL bits with Will Farrell, I take it that we are supposed to look down on Lipton as uncool, I guess for caring a lot about movies and what not. "dig the dude! he cares about movies" I think Nelson on the Simpsons would say. BUT, you watch these bits--and he obviously has never heard of Ali G or SBC at this point, and Lipton really comes off rather well. The moral: more honesty, more confrontation, less faux politeness and tolerance. SBC couldn't have said it better. "Friends" and "Family Guy" fans will probably not understand what I just said, but instead want to goof on James Lipton's beard...