BBC:
But there are others, not least the government of Kazakhstan who say it is deeply offensive.
One Kazakh diplomat says that the depiction of his country as violent, primitive and oppressive bears no resemblance to reality.
And it seems the Russian authorities are also not amused.
A culture ministry official in Moscow told the BBC it had refused to issue a distribution licence because the film could potentially humiliate different ethnic groups and religions.
The official would not give any further details, except to say the distributors had the right to appeal against the government's decision.
We in the U.S. are treated to movies portraying the assassination of a sitting president. We're the world's No. 1 giver of aid internationally, yet we have Bono and high level UN officials calling us tight with our money. I saw a French documentary on the Sundance channel claiming the U.S. is responsible for the Kursk. We have a foreign head of state call a sitting president "Satan" on our own soil. And routinely people who criticize the United States are awarded Nobel prizes and other prestigious, international prizes.
By rights we could take a flame thrower to the rest of the world. Or we could withhold our aid and let the rest of the world complain (and starve).
But what do we actually do? Nothing. We sometimes get ruffled, but we don't censor frivolous, comedic films. We realize that people can make fun, but they can't actually hurt us. We just go on and forget about the slight(s).
What is the psychology at work in Kazakhstan? Are they so insecure that they need to fight against a ridiculous comic? Are these extreme reactions common in that part of the world?
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