Officials in the Route 66 city of Kingman, Arizona, issued a penitent statement in the wake of Showtime’s “Who Is America?” episode Sunday in which the star, Sasha Baron Cohen (known for his “Borat” movie), showed several of its residents in an unflattering light.
The episode showed several Kingman residents making controversial remarks about Muslims and African-Americans after a heavily disguised Cohen announced the construction of a fictitious, huge mosque in Kingman during a community meeting.
The Arizona Republic described the segment where Cohen, portraying the liberal Dr. Nira Cain-N’Degeocello, presided over the meeting:
He announced that an exciting new project was coming to the city, which drew positive responses. Then he explained that the project was a sprawling, $385 million mosque, which did not.
“When I hear the word ‘mosque,’ I think of terrorism,” one member of the audience said.
“You bring in Muslims, we’ll probably have problems,” said another.
Later, a man yelled that the “town’s lucky to have black people in it.”
When Cohen’s character agreed, saying African-American residents make valuable contributions to the community, another man explained: “He’s saying there are black people in Kingman who aren’t welcome, either. But we tolerate them.”
The segment showed up on YouTube (it contains some adult language):
https://youtu.be/BJpY7zQ6OHc
Bill Goodykoontz, a columnist for the Republic who lived in Kingman for a year while working at the newspaper’s bureau there, wrote:
It’s been far too long for me to characterize the people who live there now. However, I can say that in my experience, the “Who Is America?” segment does not represent all of the people I knew in Kingman. But it definitely represents some of them.
Again, you can make the complaint that in this segment and in this series, Cohen is trapping people, tricking them into saying awful things. And again, I’d respond that he is, in fact, simply giving them the opportunity to do so. (Another elected official made an absolute fool of himself in this episode.) Whether it’s the rise of President Donald Trump or a wave of fear or anger or who knows what, more people clearly are feeling empowered to say the awful things they evidently have been feeling, but had the decency to keep quiet.
That’s changed, and Cohen is tapping into it. When he tapped into Kingman, it wasn’t pretty.
According to the 2010 census, Kingman is 1 percent African-American and 12 percent Hispanic. Kingman’s African-American population is unusually low for a historically fast-growing city, prompting one researcher to label it as a possible “sundown town.”
One estimate tabs Muslims in Kingman as 0.3 percent of the population.
The episode prompted the city of Kingman to issue a statement. After taking a swipe at “Who Is America?” as a “very lowly rated,” the statement turned contrite:
Every city has resident voices that challenge respect and dignity for others. They are wrong and unfortunate. […]
Another in the audience also stated negative feelings towards African-Americans. No matter the instigation or that numerous ‘focus group’ participants don’t even live in Kingman, the show’s characterization in the words of one member of our Kingman City Council ‘broke her heart.’ Why? Because our community has made great strides to erase previous perceptions. We do have a mosque. We do have a robust Latino community. We do welcome tourists from all over the world, especially more and more from Asia fascinated by our Route 66 history. We do have African-Americans applying for leadership positions with the city. This is the Kingman of today, not of yesterday.
[…] Shrugging this off is not going to be us. We’re going to use this opportunity to keep moving our community forward with the help of many community stakeholders including the Kingman Interfaith Council. And while we’ve been making progress, the comments in the show, fairly or unfairly, show that we still have more work to do.
The city went on to state it would introduce a resolution to support National Hispanic Heritage Month in September. It also will invite a Phoenix pastor who led a fight for the state to honor Martin Luther King Jr. to help the city honor MLK Jr. Day in January. It stated it plans to work with Kingman’s Interfaith Council to develop its first Diversity Commission.
The Mohave Daily News in January reported on the taping of the show:
Clear Meadow Films recruited people interested in participating in a focus group through local Facebook pages; attendees signed a consent form that allowed filming and use of the film on air. […]
“I think they were trying to piss us off, just for reactions,” said an attendee who asked not to be named. “Because the stuff they were stating was just absurd.”
Attendee Vanessa Mudge told the newspaper:
“He showed pictures of our town with business signs photoshopped into Muslim languages,” Mudge said. “He used many trigger statements like the Muslims would be protected from regular citizens to make sure there were no terror attacks from us.”
Mudge, who attended with her husband, said she and some of the other attendees speculated the purported focus group was going to be used to create a show or documentary about hate toward Muslims using the responses from the meeting.
“They claimed it (the filming) was for the architectural firm that was going to build the mosque,” she said. “We even tried pointing out to those around us to stop playing into the speaker’s hands by responding because it was all a set up. So many members responded with hate, some with blatant racism and a whole lot of ignorance.”
Mudge said she realized the group was fake when the speaker said the Kingman building site was already bought; she drives by the “for sale” signs every day.
Mudge said the residents each was paid $150.
Although the newspaper tracked down the production company to an office in West Hollywood, California, it apparently did not verify at the time Cohen was behind the show.
The Mohave Daily News’ report proved illuminating. The people at the meeting, knowing they were in front of television cameras and suspecting something was fishy, might have reacted more dramatically or even outrageously than usual. In a usual context, the residents might have been more restrained.
Regardless, it was good the city of Kingman addressed this matter instead of pretending it didn’t exist. Remaining silent might have been interpreted as tacit approval.
Because of its prominent place in Route 66 lore — it is one of the cities mentioned in Bobby Troup’s iconic “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” song — Kingman knows the world is watching it more closely, and it doesn’t want to create a setback for its growing tourism efforts.
Why has Cohen not been charged with “causing public mischief” or some such offence? For years, he has been causing trouble in countries around the world, yet he gets off scot free. How about tar and feathering him, and “running him out of town”? Or have I been watching too many American films?
Legally, it’s hard to do much because those who participate in his productions sign a liability waiver form.
And, yes, you’ve been watching too many American movies.
And further, nothing he has done is illegal. He is merely capitalizing on his First Amendment rights.
If those whose views were televised have signed a liability waiver form with Cohen then do they not have a contract with Cohen? Therefore, does he, as an “employer”, not have a duty of care over what he says and how he gingers up ordinary townspeople? Also a duty of care towards potential victims of his trouble making? Has no one made the connection between his Jewish sounding surname and his lie about the fictitious construction of a Muslim mosque in Kingman? Why not a fictitious synagogue?
Liability waivers are not contracts of employment. There is no “duty of care” when someone chooses to say something bigoted in front of a camera at a public event and then grants consent for those words to be distributed on a cable network. And the fact you think Cohen’s surname has anything to do with this says you may be a bit “gingered up” about him being Jewish. Furthermore, you seem to think it means anything past him not wishing to see others hated for their religion and ethnic origin. Why not look into yourself for why you want to defend people who speak hatred?
What a curious reply, Lysana. I presume the liability waivers are written documents, drafted by lawyers. If the so-called bigots can be held liable for what they say – isn’t that the purpose of the waivers? – then the person who induces them to say what they do should also be accountable. The point I made about his name was that Cohen lied about a mosque being built in Kingman, and not a synagogue; that is simple fact. Since Cohen is Jewish, to me it is highly relevant that he lied about what Muslims were supposed to be doing. I see him as nothing more than a professional troublemaker – paid to make the sort of thing that he did in Kingman by commercial television networks whose income is from the companies that advertise their products on the stations.
I do not understand your “Furthermore, you seem to think it means anything past him not wishing to see others hated for their religion and ethnic origin.” And where have I defended anyone?
Are you implying that Kingman is currently a “sundown town?” Please provide more evidence that “one researcher.” I went to the link you provided and the “research” was nothing but a hit piece full of heresy and nonsense. That someone who is purportedly a fan of 66 would post such garbage is disheartening!
It was a sundown town at one point; it isn’t now. But the animus to black people often takes years to wear off.
I read the researcher’s book years ago, and there are a number of patterns — including tiny African-American populations (1 percent or less) — that earn a city the “sundown town” tag. My hometown is one, and it met all the criteria.
You can choose not to believe the research if you wish.
Where, Scott, in the First Amendment does it allow people to deliberately tell lies, knowing it will cause trouble? Does the First Amendment allow me to show “FIRE!!” in a crowded cinema when there is none?
The very fact that you ask that last question shows I should not debate this with you, and I am sure that Ron would appreciate that as well, as it will clear degenerate quickly. I will say this: art is frequently protected. You may not like it as art, but it’s still art and still protected.
Scott is correct. Lying — unless you’re under legal oath to tell the truth — is protected by the First Amendment.
Yes, it’s protected – if you’re a citizen. Cohen is a citizen of the UK, not the US. He is here as a guest, and does not necessarily get the same protections as a born or naturalized citizen. According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, a consular officer can revoke a visa pretty much for any reason, and all it can take to get the process started is a single disgruntled American (see: https://visarefusal.com/revocation/visa_revocation/)
“Art” is one of the most abused words in the world today. Once art meant a painting, drawing, sculpture, writing, etc that required considerable talent and time to create. Now a pile of car tyres gets called art and is “exhibited” in an “art gallery”. If indeed the First Amendment protects a liar, then there is no difference in Cohen’s lie about the construction of a mosque and the lying panic-causer shouting “Fire!” in the crowded cinema. The latter might be seen differently if people died in the crush to leave the cinema. That is the problem using a two hundred year old constitution to cover things that did not exist when it was drafted and promulgated. What has degenerated already is art itself. I had always thought of what Cohen does as just a way for commercial television stations to sell advertising time. As for it being art……
Eric, the persons who reacted to Cohen’s comments did so of their own free will and were in no way coerced or tricked into doing so. A situation was presented within which those people were allowed to express their personal opinions and feelings. That they did so is on them, not Cohen. He could not have “tricked” me into saying such hateful things. Could he have tricked you into doing so? By the way, the tarred and feathered comment you made was totally reprehensible. I love Kingman and go there often finding it fun and pleasant. However, there are bound to be a few bad people who expressed their honest prejudices. All towns are like that. No laws were broken by Cohen and your search for legal outs is unfounded.
Ella, Cohen came – “of his own free will” – over 5,000 miles from the UK to present his lie to the people of Kingman. What you call “a situation” – in fact a fictional “situation” invented to provoke the people of Kingman – generated the responses Cohen had flown all those miles to get. He is a well known trouble maker, well versed in provoking people. Yet you claim, “That they did so is on them, not Cohen”. Did you not read that he was “heavily disguised”? As what? Just because “no laws were broken by Cohen”, it does not mean he did no wrong. Slave owners in the USA broke no laws.
Having had British people murdered in the UK by Muslims in the name of Islam, I have an intense dislike for this religion invented by a man who wanted power and he got it. As for what you call the “honest prejudices” of what others would call red blooded patriots, did the murder of close to 3,000 people on American soil by Muslims in the name of Islam in 2001 not make you ask why some Kingman residents spoke their minds?
Regarding my “tar and feathering and running him out of town”, the act may “totally reprehensible”, but just mentioning it? It’s part of American history. Your president Jimmy Carter wrote a novel (just about as fictitious as Cohen’s mosque) called Hornet’s Nest in which a man loyal to the British Crown was tarred and feathered by members of a law-breaking secret society. What punishment would you mete out to professional, public mischief-makers cashing in on human nature, such as Cohen? None?
SBC is the equivalent of MSG. He makes everything moreso.