Ali G

Ali G is a satirical UK hip-hop-type character invented and played by the comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

Controversy

Because Sacha Baron Cohen is not black himself, but portrays a character who purports to be black and who is stupid, ignorant and misogynistic, he has been accused by some of racism and of ridiculing black street culture. The West End premiere of Ali G Indahouse was met with anti-racist demonstrators protesting outside. However, others have suggested that the implication that black street culture is not a legitimate subject for parody is itself racist.

Related Topics:
Black - Misogynist - Racism - West End - Premiere - Demonstrators - Protest - Parody

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There is also some question about whether one is expected to believe that the character Ali G is black, or a parody of suburban white and Asian people who attempt to gain credibility by adopting the paraphernalia and language of black urban culture (see also Tim Westwood). This question is cast into relief by one of Ali G's catchphrases, "Is it 'cos I is black?", a title subsequently used in an Oxford University thesis http://www.anjool.co.uk/dissertation.htm, Cohen's character is an uneducated thug, with the Tommy Hilfiger and Nike shoes adding to the effect that he is a "consumer whore."

Related Topics:
Language - Tim Westwood - Catchphrase - Oxford University - Tommy Hilfiger - Nike

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Harry Thompson, a former producer of The Eleven O'Clock Show, has said the character was given the name Ali G so he would have "a whiff of Islam about him," but Ali G's full name has since been revealed to be Alistair Leslie Graham.

Related Topics:
Harry Thompson - Islam

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The Ali G character can also be seen as a commentary on the adoption of American black street culture by non-Americans and people who aren't black. Because Cohen is a middle-class, Cambridge University educated actor portraying a suburban, presumably middle-class Briton of undetermined extraction who is, in turn, styling himself on American street life, the show maintains a certain Victor/Victoria quality. To many critics, Ali G is not satirising black urban culture, but those non-blacks and non-urbanites who appropriate it.

Related Topics:
Cambridge University - Victor/Victoria

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