It's no secret that America's political scene is a dumpster fire, to say the least. Some of us are writhing in mental pain wondering what Trump will pull next. Some are mindlessly fatigued by whatever he tweets. Others rely on comedy to cope.
Then comes Sacha Baron Cohen.
The creator of alter egos such as Ali G, Borat, Bruno, and Admiral General Aladeen returns to TV with Showtime's "Who Is America?" In this new show, Cohen takes on several characters and interviews people as big as Bernie Sanders and some lesser-known folks such as a Trump-supporting family in South Carolina. Some of Cohen's characters include Nira Cain-N'degeocello, a gender studies professor at a liberal arts college in Oregon, a jab at the social justice warrior stereotype seen in left-wing politics. Wayne Ruddick Jr. is a disabled right-wing conspiracist who interviews, and subsequently trolls, Sanders and ABC News anchor Ted Koppel in several episodes. Erran Morad is an Israeli spy who tricks many folks on the right into learning tactics to fight members of ISIS and undocumented immigrants. OmgWhizzBoyOmg is a flamboyant Finnish YouTuber who apparently has a liking for Shopkins.
These are four of the characters that appear on "Who Is America?", and if you don't know Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy, it often goes off the rails in terms of clean content. The "Nira Cain" character apparently has two children named Harvey Milk and Malala, whose partner is cheating on him with a dolphin and that he frequently "free-bleeds" on an American flag. "Erran Morad" in one segment teaches several Trump supporters how to lure supposed undocumented predators. The practice included one of them being in drag during a quinceañera and the other hide in a piñata. "WhizzBoy" apparently gets notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio to say that he would sexually pleasure Donald Trump.
I...cannot make this stuff up. "Who Is America?", along with any of Sacha Baron Cohen's works, is a wild ride. I will give Cohen the tip of the hat for being able to trick many powerful people in politics into being interviewed by his faux personalities. But while it's hilarious to see how gullible a lot of ordinary people are, primarily Trump supporters, it also gives the realization that Cohen's subjects are frighteningly real. Some examples of this are when "Nira Cain" receives ugly backlash from a Trump-supporting Arizona town to build a multi-million dollar mosque in the area, and when "Erran Morad" teaches several Trump supporters to use a selfie stick to take a picture underneath Muslim women's burqas because "women aren't terrorists." While Cohen is simply trolling, it should be noted that these people are indeed naive enough to think these are real.
So in conclusion, it's up to you as to what you think of "Who Is America?" Is it another anecdote from today's trying political times? Does it normalize invasive behavior? Once again, it's all up for interpretation.
Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?" premieres every Sunday at 10/9c on Showtime. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
