July 14, 2009

Of my homosexual friends and acquaintances, none of them behave like uber-gay Bruno. That said, I have met or seen the occasional homosexual man who does behave in the same over-the-top, ridiculous manner as Bruno, and they have annoyed me just as much as Cohen annoyed or offended his unwitting subjects. When I have mentioned this prejudice to friends or even made some off-color remark, some have accused me of being “homophobic.” Yet somehow, whenever I’ve made fun of some over-the-top, ridiculously macho straight man – some wannabe stud layered in gold chains, AXE body spray and possessing an inflated, yet fragile ego – somehow I’m never called “heterophobic.” In fact, my politically-correct friends are usually laughing with me.

Bruno is a raunchy but hilarious movie, and if viewed primarily by an audience that had never come into contact with real-life gay men and women, GLAAD might have a point. But after his first film, Borat, Cohen’s fans knew exactly what to expect from the guerilla-style comedian, and I seriously doubt social conservatives were flocking to see the R-rated, borderline X-rated, movie. Yet if you had to pick, while Cohen made fun of everyone from black Americans to the depravity of starry-eyed stage mothers, the worst stereotyping in Bruno was the film’s portrayal of working class Southerners.

<object width=“425” height=“344”><param name=“movie” value=“http://www.youtube.com/v/fubjS9GRx8c&hl=en&fs=1&”>

<embed src=“http://www.youtube.com/v/fubjS9GRx8c&hl=en&fs=1&” type=“application/x-shockwave-flash” allowscriptaccess=“always” allowfullscreen=“true” width=“425” height=“344”></embed></object>

Subscription Membership

Subscribe to Taki's Magazine for an ad-free experience and help us stand against political correctness.

Join Now

Donate

Support our writers

Donate Now

Newsletter

Sign up to receive posts

Columnists

Sign Up to Receive Our Latest Updates!