BOYCOTT #2

#2 - Sacha Baron Cohen 

In 2021, Sacha Baron Cohen won two Golden Globes, one for best actor in a musical or comedy and another for best comedy or musical for ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.’ These big wins were obviously politically motivated. I watched the movie for reasons you’ll be reading about in a moment, and I must say that this is one of the worst movies of all time, indeed the worst comedy I have ever seen. I still regret sacrificing my time to watch this. I wasn’t offended by the obvious political overtones. The bottom line was that it wasn’t very good – quite dull. 

Now, the backstory…
 

On June 27, 2020, the third annual March for Our Rights Rally (MFOR) was held in Olympia, Washington, an event co-organized by retired Army Major Allen Acosta, co-founder of the Libertarians MC.  

In attendance, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, desperate to revive his career, attempted one of his ‘pranks’ at the rally. Unfortunately for Cohen, and despite the media’s spin on what actually happened, the prank fell far short of the intended goal - to have people sing an offensive song and make them look like ignorant racists. 

Cohen was disguised as a stereotypical hillbilly and sang with some indiscernible accent reminiscent of Borat, the comedian’s only actual claim to fame. Cohan tried his best to portray the attendees at the rally as white supremacists. The problem for Cohen was that minorities (including Jewish supporters) were present along with several combat veterans who were in full support of the rally’s intended spirit - supporting the Bill of Rights, which protects everyone’s rights regardless of race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, and religion). 

How did Cohen’s prank work out? That depends on your perspective. If you were reading mainstream newspapers and watching mainstream media, it appears he played a masterful trick. However, if you were actually there or viewed any of the raw footage I have in my possession, Cohen’s attempted prank could only be described as limp. 

Several raw, unedited videos reveal perhaps two or three people starting to sing (somehow knowing the lyrics to a ridiculous song that no one has ever heard before). About halfway through, it’s clear the crowd wants him to stop, and people begin appropriately calling out the fraudulent singer as a racist. One Jewish gentleman rushed up to the crowd control barrier in front of the stage and screamed at Cohen that his grandfather was a holocaust victim. Toward the end, everyone was calling for his removal. Of course, his lame movie doesn’t show any of this. 

Unfortunately, Cohen anticipated this and protected the generators, the stage, and the soundboard, with his private security. Eventually, the organizers stopped it, and Cohen raced off to a waiting ambulance he rented to make his getaway - a true coward by definition. 

To say that he pranked this rally successfully is an outright lie. How many ways can you try to resurrect Borat, a one-trick pony? It’s over, dude. Let it go already. No one is interested, and the board at the Golden Globe Awards has lost all credibility by awarding him two politically motivated trophies for this garbage. 

How did he ever make that scene work? I saw many takes from other viewpoints, and no one participated. Cohen used obvious editing techniques and superimposed post-recorded audio (of many people singing) over the original footage. He spent a lot of money on a failed attempt to discredit good people. 

Let’s compare these two men- 

Let’s start with MFOR co-organizer Major Allen Acosta (RET) ~ Allen was born in 1972 in Manila, Philippines. His father immigrated to the US first, then later with his mother. Allen immigrated to the US when he was seven years old during the Marcos regime, during martial law in the Philippines. 

Wikipedia cites, "The martial law era under Marcos was marked by plunder, repression, torture, and atrocity. As many as 3,257 were murdered, 35,000 tortured, and 70,000 illegally detained, according to estimates by historian Alfred McCoy. One journalist described the Ferdinand Marcos administration as “a gruesome one-stop shop for human rights abuses, a system that swiftly turned citizens into victims by dispensing with inconvenient requirements such as constitutional protections, fundamental rights, due process, and evidence". This is how Allen grew up. 

Allen has an understandably different perspective on the Bill of Rights than someone who grew up in the United States or, let’s say, someone from a wealthy family in England with nary a worry in the world (i.e., Sacha Baron Cohen). 

Allen graduated from Eastern Michigan University in Public Safety Administration. After college, he entered Military service as a US Army Officer. He served for 17 years and is a recipient of the Purple Heart, wounded during combat operations. 

Other badges and medals he received include the following: Combat Action Badge, Meritorious Service Medal (2 awards), Army Commendation Medal (4 awards), Iraqi Service Medal with two campaign stars, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Airborne Badge and Rigger Badge. Additionally, he carries foreign awards, including the German Armed Forces Badge for Military Proficiency in Gold, the German Armed Forces Badge for Weapons Proficiency in Gold, and Canadian Airborne Wings.

Allen served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines, and Operation New Dawn. Allen’s career highlights include US Foreign Affairs working with the US State Department, Host Nations, Foreign Military departments, and other US Federal agencies. He has held top-level security clearances and has first-hand experience in full-spectrum nation-building and sustainment operations totaling close to $150 million in budgets, including supervising a $650 million contract on a budget committee, with a top rating of fiscal accountability. Allen understands National Defense and Security and has taken lead roles in force and facility protection in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. 

Allen earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Administration with a concentration in Criminal Investigation and certifications from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among many others.

Politically, Allen recently ran for the 22nd District Seat in the House of Representatives in the State of Washington. Allen ran as a Libertarian and held the Regional Director position for the Libertarian Party of Washington for two terms. In 2013, he was the national Liberty Inspiration Award Winner. Additionally, he received the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs Distinguished Service award in 2019 and the 2019 Libertarian Party Community Service award. 

In his own words, Allen states, “More than words, I continue my service in my legislative district. I have worked on numerous pieces of legislation that advocate for individual rights and protection. I have spoken out against continued taxation at rallies, fighting the cost of living increase that is making Washington less affordable for families. I work with community outreach, addressing food insecurities and homelessness in our communities, including the veteran homeless task force, a growing issue within the State. I am a responsible steward of public lands and a strong advocate for conservation education.”

The list of his accomplishments within the community, his selfless nature in helping people, and the events reveal the dedication of his need to unify all people of every race, nationality, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and political affiliation, are so numerous that attempting to print them here would extend this article by pages.

Allen supports his grass-roots organizations with his own time, money, fund-raising, and hands-on efforts, such as helping veterans with homelessness, transportation, suicide prevention, and VA benefits. Olympia street feeds find him serving food to the hungry and helping to coordinate and serve 22,000 plates of food, collecting three tons of food annually. 

Additionally, Allen co-founded the Liberty Disaster Relief Service, a community and state disaster preparedness and response organization, which has already helped out communities in need during state emergencies such as significant forest fires and landslides. 

During the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, while Allen was supposed to be on vacation, he delivered 300 lbs. of water to a local collection point. This is a drop in the bucket. The list goes on and on. On countless occasions, he has stated publicly and privately that his goal in life is to leave the world better than he found it. That’s just the make-up of this man’s character, and he never stops. 

And now, Sacha Baron Cohen -

Sacha Baron Cohen was born in 1971 and is an English comedian. Outside of Hollywood, he is known for the movie Borat. He has appeared in many forgettable films, most of them reworkings of his one-time hit, 'Borat'. He also received a nomination for a Golden Globe Award, named Best Newcomer at the 1999 British Comedy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, several Emmy nominations, a nomination for an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe for Best Actor (Borat). At the 2012 British Comedy Awards, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award. In 2013, he received the BAFTA Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy and, as I have already stated, won two Golden Globes for his awful sequel. 

Here is more shocking garbage; in 2018, The Times named Cohen among the 30 best living comedians, and in 2019 a panel on the television channel Gold included him in a list of the greatest British comedians. That is absurd. 

Concerning these awards, I don’t believe it’s about whom Cohen knows; instead, it’s about his family’s affluence. As a comedian, he doesn’t cut it, and I greatly admire British Comedy. Again, Cohen is a one-trick pony. Once you’ve seen Borat, you’ve seen all of his work. 

Cohen hides his racism with statements such as, “I think that's quite an interesting thing with Borat, which is people let down their guard with him because they’re in a room with somebody who seems to have these outrageous opinions. They sometimes feel much more relaxed about letting their own outrageous, politically incorrect, and prejudiced opinions come out”. 

The statement is somewhat true if you live in a box, but on June 27, 2020, he was proven dead wrong, and as he ran away in cowardly defeat, there can be no doubt things did not go as he anticipated. Who was showing their prejudice on that day? The only fool shamed that day was Sacha Baron Cohen. Here, he revealed his prejudice. 

Wikipedia cites that in ‘2019, Baron Cohen was awarded an International Leadership Award by the Anti-Defamation League for leadership in fighting bigotry and prejudice.’ 

I had to read this three times before I understood it was not a joke, though it should be. Cohen hides behind his characters and justifies his genuine prejudice, as shown in his sequel. He is an absolute hypocrite of the highest order. 

Wikipedia was correct in pointing out Cohen’s allies during his obscene performance in Olympia, “telling listeners to attack liberals, CNN, the World Health Organization, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates and “mask-wearers.” 

Interesting, but I will let you draw your conclusions on this. In comparing Cohen to a man like Major Acosta, surely Cohen has engaged in some form of philanthropy, right? Allen is involved in nearly every waking moment of his life, helping people. All one needs to do is take a walk in downtown Olympia, Washington, have a word with the disadvantaged, the wounded, the oppressed, the hungry, and the forgotten veteran, and you will find that Allen has devoted years of his life and as much money as he can to help. Everyone on those streets knows his name and who he is. There is immense love and gratitude. Any yet, Allen remains humble.

And Cohen the clown? All I could find was this, again from Wikipedia. On 12/28/15, he and his wife “donated $500,000 to Save the Children as part of a program to vaccinate children in northern Syria against measles.” How generous. Why not general medical health? Food? Clean water? Shelter? Why northern Syria? After what he just did, I am well within my rights to ask such questions. Because you are reading this on this particular page, I’ll let you draw your conclusions on his gift. I am curious about which company provided the vaccines he so generously paid for. 

Sacha Baron Cohen is a piece of shit. Period.