A brief history of Borat

For those of you who haven't caught a snippet of Borat yet, take it from us -- you're missing out. Hailed as "genius" by Entertainment Weekly and endlessly compared to Peter Sellers and Andy Kaufman, fictional Kazakhstani journalist Borat is the hugely un-PC, anti-Semetic and yet strangely likeable brainchild of British comedian (and Jew) Sasha Baron Cohen. Hugely offensive to some and brilliantly satirical to others (read: smart folks), culturally clueless Borat's reportage on the people and customs of the "U.S. and A" come off like cracked versions of Rick Steeves' travelogues -- that is, if Steeves were a homophobic misogynist who unintentionally offended everyone he met.

But enough talk -- the only way to discover Borat is to watch his segments, all culled from Da Ali G Show and conveniently available on YouTube. Of course, there'll be plenty of Borat for everyone when his 20th Century Fox-produced film, Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, hits theaters on November 3. But you don't want to go in cold -- so start here:

In this segment, Borat tastes wine with some Southern gentlemen, then tricks them into lamenting the passing of slavery -- and manages to work in some brilliant physical comedy to boot. (Warning -- this one isn't 100% "family-friendly.")

Many more after the jump:

Borat's most YouTubed bit, in which he leads a rousing anti-Semetic sing-a-long in a crowded Country & Western bar:

Borat helps a Republican candidate for Congress do a little door-to-door campaigning in Mississippi. "Is your husband home? We want to speak with someone who can vote."

A real jaw-dropper: Borat makes a Texan big-game hunter comfortable enough to admit that he thinks Hitler's "Final Solution" was the right move for Germany.

Borat argues that Kazakhstan is the #1 country at an American patriot rally.