Isn't this a chicken and egg question?

Would the public have recognized Ghaddaffi or Saddam Hussein in Sascha Cohen's film if said dictators hadn't been portrayed and caricatured the way they have been for years?

When did you last see a news anchor do a critical dissection of any individuals from the Saudi establishment? I guess most people have a vague concept of some bearded men in white but would struggle to name any of them, even less distinguish their individual faults.