Editing Ali G (section)

==Criticisms==
Although Baron Cohen has repeatedly stated that Ali G is a parody of suburban, privileged youth acting in a way that they think is typical of black people, some commentators have opined that the force of the humour is derived from stereotypes of blacks, not poseur whites.  According to this view of the character, the suburban background written into Ali G's character serves as a false alibi.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1117675.ece|title=Affronted feminist Naomi Wolf takes a bite out of 'racist' Ali G|date=9 March 2003| work=The Sunday Times | location=London | access-date=23 April 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604150315/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1117675.ece | archive-date=4 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/Archive/Article/0,4273,4378509,00.html | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Race protest at Ali G's film premiere | first=Paul | last=Kelso | date=21 March 2002 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/ali-g-keepin-it-real-for-real-750201.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606085412/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/ali-g-keepin-it-real-for-real-750201.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=6 June 2011 | work=The Independent | location=London | title=Ali G: Keepin' it real, for real | first=John | last=Walsh | date=16 March 2002 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> The [[sociologist]] Tara Alturi observed that, by presenting as racially ambiguous, Ali G both exploits [[minstrel show]] racial stereotypes for humour and ridicules white minstrel expropriation.<ref>{{Cite journal| last=Atluri| first=Tara| date=March 2009|title=Lighten up?! Humour, Race, and Da off colour joke of Ali G| url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0163443708100314|journal=Media, Culture & Society| language=en|volume=31|issue=2|pages=197–214 |doi=10.1177/0163443708100314| s2cid=145704634| issn=0163-4437}}</ref>

The comedian [[Felix Dexter]] has said that he appreciated the humour of an innocent ignoramus confronting an expert with neither understanding the other, but felt that "a lot of the humour is laughing at black street culture and it is being celebrated because it allows the liberal middle classes to laugh at that culture in a safe context where they can retain their sense of [[political correctness]]".<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/jan/11/race.janinegibson | work=The Guardian | location=London | title=Comics find Ali G is an alibi for racism | first=Janine | last=Gibson | date=11 January 2000 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> Fellow comedian [[Victoria Wood]] criticised Baron Cohen's style of comedy, saying that his "endless setting up of victims" was "tiresome" and akin to "laughing at lunatics".<ref>{{cite news |title=Comic Wood slams 'tiresome' Ali G |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4223581.stm |access-date=23 March 2020 |work=BBC News |date=31 January 2005}}</ref>