Manipulation and Values

Sasha Baron Cohen has the amazing ability of manipulating others when the cameras are on. People not used to the limelight are willing to be agreeable as long as Cohen does not cross paths with their morals. For instance:
- Interviewees are willing to contradict themselves, by saying for instance that their show was both “heavy” and “light as air.”
- They are willing to jump off buses and do machine-gun punches while yelling “PARTY” at the top of their lungs.
- They are willing to say that fashion saves more lives than doctors and that people with bad fashion sense should be sent to Auschwitz and can be called “fashion terrorists.”
- They are willing to go from calling Paris Hilton “disgusting” to singing her praises.
- Politicians are willing to smile and nod while Borat tells female voters that horses and dogs are superior to women.

For as long as possible, Cohen tries to toe line of what his interviewees find morally acceptable. Before that line is crossed, he is able to manipulate actions and words. But it is always very clears once his remarks do not agree with his interviewees values. For example, knowing that anti-homosexuality is one of those values, Cohen toes that line with his character Bruno. The anti-gay stigma in the south is so strong that interviewees are willing to give up their 15 minutes of fame so as to not be associated with homosexuality.
However, interviewees that are used to the cameras, like Donald Trump, often do not put up with Cohen’s shit and are more than willing to walk away.

Check out a great example here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJFmgUYjdGE&mode=related&search=. The no-names that he interviews say anything, while gissele bundchen says what she wants.