BORAT: BASED ON A TRUE STORY?

At the risk of belaboring the obvious, does it get any meta-dumber than this? Two frat guys are suing because a movie producer took them out drinking, an activity they surely would never have engaged in otherwise, and interviewed them on film in a situation designed to allow them to express their most repellent, honestly-held opinions on women and various other topics. These poor, exploited boys are seeking “unspecified damages for 'humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress, loss of reputation, goodwill and standing in the community.'" (Bold is mine.) Jim Emerson links to a Salon roundup of “the stories behind various staged and/or improvised scenes in Borat,” a subject of increasing interest around the water cooler in my office, to be sure. And he asks a great pair of questions: “Can these guys sue themselves? Will they call Mel Gibson as a character witness?”