It's been 16 years since I was in the States. I did my best to explain some of the things. I grew up around Pentacostals in middle Georgia (we called 'em the Holiness Church but it's the same thing). I grew up around people that spoke in tongues every Sunday but I had the very devil of a time explaining that one to my friends because I always thought it was a load of crap when I was younger and haven't changed that viewpoint yet.
People can get angry at Borat for 'cherry-picking' scenes of Americana but my life and home wasn't a matter of cherry picking- it was just the reality where I grew up.
One thing I couldn't explain to them was how Borat escaped alive after making a mockery of the National Anthem in Texas. He would have been shot in Georgia when I still lived there.
It's not like Cohen's brand of comedy is new. I remember when Howard Stern had a contest to settle who was smarter, blacks or whites. The white contestant was an Ivy League grad and the black guy was a homeless alcoholic. Liberals didn't think it was so funny back then.