Sorry today’s comic was so late. I kind of had a bad day Tuesday and by the time it came to putting together today’s comic, I had a headache, was kind of dispirited and not into it.

You’d think since I’m not working full time now that I would be more available to work on comics or watch movies, but I don’t do either of those things.

I apply for jobs, I’ve been on a few interviews and the rest of the time I spend either cleaning the house or waiting for someone to send me an e-mail with a job offer.

I don’t mean to bum you guys out or burden you with my problems. Like I said, I had a bad day yesterday. That doesn’t mean today is going to be a bad day. In fact, sometimes, you need a bad day before you can have a good day.

Let’s talk about the comic, shall we?

We talked about Bruno a little bit on Monday’s episode of The Triple Feature (which, by the way, was PACKED with listeners during the live show – thanks everybody!) I addressed my concerns about Sacha Baron Cohen using “GOTCHA!” tactics to get unwilling participants to expose their homophobia. Joe and Gordon thought I was making a big deal about nothing and that homophobes SHOULD be made fun of whether their wear their bias on their sleeve or not.

On the one hand I agree with them. But on the other, I look at a character like Bruno who provokes and provokes and provokes with outrageous behavior until Sacha Baron Cohen gets the results he wants. Then, when people throw up their arms in disgust or frustration, points at them and says, “See! See! These backwoods hicks aren’t tolerant!”

People are entitled to their opinion – however wrong it may be. But I feel like if you’re going to ridicule them for it, they should at least be on a level playing field. I mean, what’s entertaining about watching someone like Cohen shoot fish in a barrel?

I don’t interpret a character like Bruno as tool of social satire. I don’t think Cohen is using him to expose homophobes in a way that makes their fear or intolerance unjustifiable. To these people, Bruno is the embodiment of those fears. Bruno is a gross caricature of the worst stereotypical traits of gay man.

If I were gay, I would hate to think that I could be so humorless that I couldn’t appreciate Bruno making fun of gay/fashion “culture.” But at the same time, considering the social struggle of homosexuals in America, I don’t think you can look at a character like Bruno and say “This is advancing our cause.”

To put it another way, what if you had Jerry Lewis running around in blackface during the Civil Rights era making fun of racist Southerns. Do you think it would help or hurt?

Fundamentally, I think Sacha Baron Cohen is an intelligent, committed and utterly fearless performer. The fact that he attracts this kind of controversy through comedy and sets the stage for this kind of introspection is proof that he’s doing something right.

But at the same time, I get this vibe off him that he thinks everything is ridiculous and everyone is stupid and it makes it kind of hard for me to respect the guy. For that reason, I’m not especially looking forward to seeing Bruno.

Will I still see Bruno? Of course. If for no other reason than because, invariably, the film will be treated like a cultural event. It’s the ultimate in water cooler conversation (except I don’t have a water cooler to hang around these days).

Gordon accused me of only wanting to see the film so I could discuss it through Theater Hopper. He’s not wrong. A certain amount of this is homework. But I think, too, when you walk in with lowered expectations, there is the opportunity for walking out of the movie surprised.

What about the rest of you? Do you think Cohen will be able to catch you off-guard with Bruno as well as he did with Borat? How long can Cohen’s shock tactics last? How do you feel about generating comedy from awkward or provocative social situations? Are Cohen’s films effective social satire or a 2 hour version of Candid Camera? Leave your comments below!