Dating Lessons from Borat

You may or may not have seen this clip before. Borat has certainly entered the mainstream with the hit movie from 2006. Borat, in his usual casual style, introduces the topic and explains in a bewildered manner how American women will not get married unless you date them first. Where it comes from, in Kazakhstan, you just go to the woman’s father and pay them. Sounds almost like lobola to me. The questions by the matchmaker with Borat’s responses are hilarious. One benefit from this kind of situation is that it helps you become clear about what you want, what you have to offer. The question of race is not a sensitive issue to Borat: he does not want a Jewish woman. One good piece of advice given at this stage is not to be sexually explicit in your dating profile. You want to be sensual wherever you can, but never directly.

Next in dating school, Borat learns that most American men bring too many gifts. This is a big no-no according to the dating coach. He practices his funny chair joke on her with some uncomfortable giggles. A tip here when telling jokes, never laugh before the woman you are talking to has laughed. No matter how lame your jokes – hold your breath – and the people you speak to will eventually giggle, even to relieve the tension. More about cocky comedy later. I think the most hilarious part is that Borat does the opposite of what the dating coach tells him to do. There is some value here because doing the opposite of what your mother taught you or what society expects you to do can sometimes have surprisingly good responses from women. Everyone enjoys a surprise, whether they admit it or not.