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Now I Know Why I Resent That "Magic Negro" Talk

By Kai Beasley
Black College Wire

For some white people, the fantasy of the "Magic Negro" is the only thing that helps them deal with the reality of successful black Americans.

John Harrington/PBS Sen. Barack Obama's appearance at the June 28 Democratic candidates debate prompted the author to respond to the "Magic Negro" label.

Take a black man, imbue him with talent, charisma and power beyond the stereotypes held by some white Americans and voila! you have a Magic Negro.

The Magic Negro is the glorified exception in black America, not the rule.

Belief in him allows white Americans to overcome racism through one narrow association without having to "make way" for all black Americans.

Is Barack Obama the latest Magic Negro?

I first heard the term used to describe Senator Obama on Rush Limbaugh's radio show. In April, Limbaugh hired Paul Shanklin, a conservative political satirist (and also recently added to my hit list) to impersonate Al Sharpton and to sing "Barack the Magic Negro" to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon."

As with most things Limbaugh has done, I wrote it off as nothing major; thinking that Rush the "Magic Blockhead" was just being, well, a blockhead.

Then I came across a March 19 article in the Los Angeles Times, in which writer David Ehrenstein opined that Barack was running for the offices of president and of Magic Negro.

Ehrenstein said that for some, Obama's apparent "inauthenticity" when compared with "examples of genuine blackness" such as Sharpton or Snoop Dogg put him more in line with the role of the Magic Negro; a role that caters to whites more than blacks.

Kai Beasley

Why is it that an educated black man who can clearly express his ideas and back up his opinions is considered a Magic Negro? Is it because he lacks mad skills on the mic? I wrestled with this question for quite some time, then the answer hit me while watching the most recent Democratic debate. The Magic Negro must be a racist fantasy!

A Magic Negro is actually a stock character who shows up in literature and film. I'm sure you've seen one.

In the movies, Magic Negroes are the classic stereotypes of the uneducated blue collar African American, often (but not always) associated with criminality or laziness, if they are not janitors. They display some magical power, a closeness to nature or an extreme wisdom that allows them to see things from a more mystical perspective. They often randomly drop knowledge that is way beyond what one might believe within their mental capacity. You'll know when you experience this "random knowledge" because right after they drop it, the viewer is often left thinking, "wait . . . what?"

The Magic Negro never uses his wisdom and intelligence to become wealthy, marry the finest woman EVER, and raise a beautiful family, as one would expect. No, the Magic Negro's purpose is to help the white protagonist get the girl, or overcome some obstacle that the protagonist would otherwise be unable to. After accomplishing this, the Magic Negro returns to the life of a simpleton and disappears into the sunset.

As Ehrenstein asserts, the Magic Negro is there to "assuage white guilt over the role of slavery and segregation in American history." His sole purpose is to help white people. He gets nothing in return and as a result, proves that the relationship between whites and blacks is essentially pretty good. It's an "I'm not racist; my best friend is black" kind of deal. Sounds like a fantasy to me.

Examples of Magic Negroes in film include Bagger Vance (Will Smith) in "The Legend of Bagger Vance," Djimon Honsou's character in every movie for which he's ever gotten an Academy Award nomination, Whoopi Goldberg in "Ghost," or Clarence Thomas in real life.

My personal favorite is the character of John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) in writer-director Frank Darabont's "The Green Mile," in which a 7 foot tall, larger-than-life black man, with real magical powers, cures Tom Hanks' urinary infection by putting his hand on his crotch. After that, Coffey is executed. You know, speaking of fantasies, that's actually a pretty weird one for white people to have. I mean I wouldn't want a large black man putting his hand on my crotch to cure a urinary infection. I wouldn't want a man putting his hand on my crotch. I wouldn't want a urinary infection!

But what movies like "The Green Mile" actually say is that blacks are capable only if they're helping whites. So, is Barack's only role as a candidate to help whites overcome the legacy of racism by supporting the IDEA of a black president? You wish!

At the heart of racism is fantasy; the deep desire for a world that doesn't exist; a world where to be black is to be intrinsically inferior to those who are white.

To this end, Obama is just another capable black man whose existence must be rationalized in a manner most self-serving to racist America. His power and charisma are reduced to nothing more than an effort to become closer to whites, so that Limbaugh and people like him don't freak out at the prospect of an intelligent black man who actually understands the issues, can articulate his views and maintain his individuality. That would be a threat and moreover, a challenge to the maturity of white America.

The Limbaugh/"Green Mile" view of race relations is really about redemption. It's about the need for whites in America to be rid of the racial guilt that opposition to an Obama candidacy provokes. There is a need to maintain power without appearing to support the racial status quo.

White people will find redemption in supporting Obama because they will have opened up to the possibility that a black man can be president. But in the end, it might prove too great a challenge to the psyche of white people to actually elect him. His election would represent a real shift in the American racial dynamic.

The point is that all of these racist portrayals are nothing but fantasy; a desire by those who create them to rationalize the existence of great people who happen to be African American. To say that Obama is a Magic Negro is to say that the only thing a black man can do in America is the hard work of soothing its racial conscience. It says that African Americans are willing to maintain a subordinate yet kosher relationship with racism.

Senator Obama is not a Magic Negro — here for white people looking for a black man who doesn't curse or wear braids. He's not bitter and militant and promoting black power from coast to coast, either. In reality, Obama simply wants to be president. Just like all the other candidates.

But I'm sure that no matter what, Limbaugh and his listeners will keep trying to convince themselves that Barack is a Magic Negro. Just so they can sleep at night. Well, sleep away. Sleep away and keep dreaming.

Kai Beasley is a May graduate of Emory University. Articles in the Voices section represent the views of their authors, and not necessarily those of Black College Wire. To comment, e-mail [email protected]

Posted July 6, 2007

Rush Limbaugh Just Used a Black Man's Words

When you wrote: "Then I came across a March 19 article in the Los Angeles Times, in which writer David Ehrenstein opined that Barack was running for the offices of president and of Magic Negro," you conveniently left out the fact that David Ehrenstein is black.

All Rush Limbaugh did was repeat what a black man said about another black man, and in your mind you can't stand the thought of one black man saying anything bad about another black man. So, like a typical liberal, you take a page out of the Democrat handbook and blame someone else for saying it.

As for being a Rush Limbaugh listener, don't make it into a dirty word. We're proud that we are among the most informed in news knowledge. Rather, make liberal a dirty word. Make one black man saying something bad about another black man a dirty word. You may have first heard it from Rush Limbaugh, but that's because he's on the cutting edge of societal evolution.

Did you really expect the liberal news media to report the story that David Ehrenstein, being a black man, would call another black man a "Magic Negro"? I wouldn't. And when I read your story, I didn't expect you to mention that David Ehrenstein was a black man, either. Because if you had, your story wouldn't have made any sense.

Gregg Stebbins
Valley Head, Ala.
July 6, 2007