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'Magic Negro' Satire, RNC Candidate Says

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Well, I made the TV Tropes 'Magic Negro' link, and I still thought this was shockingly racist.

Obama isn't a fictional character. The point of criticizing 'Magic Negro' as an archetype is that it's an example of (usually white) writers trying to show a black character in a positive light, but going too far and 'othering' them by turning them into a magic man. But if the Repubs were trying to invoke that stereotype, they misfired, because the implication they've created is that Obama is trying to 'other' himself. Basically, they're accusing him of playing the race card. And they're suggesting that Obama-hype is ridiculous because nobody really believes that wise, inspirational black men exist outside of the Magic Negroes in fiction. How is that not racist??
 
Jo-Jo said:
Well, I made the TV Tropes 'Magic Negro' link, and I still thought this was shockingly racist.

Obama isn't a fictional character. The point of criticizing 'Magic Negro' as an archetype is that it's an example of (usually white) writers trying to show a black character in a positive light, but going too far and 'othering' them by turning them into a magic man. But if the Repubs were trying to invoke that stereotype, they misfired, because the implication they've created is that Obama is trying to 'other' himself. Basically, they're accusing him of playing the race card. And they're suggesting that Obama-hype is ridiculous because nobody really believes that wise, inspirational black men exist outside of the Magic Negroes in fiction. How is that not racist??
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Thanks for putting my feelings into words!
 
If you ask me, whoever wrote this song is either in the KKK, or forgot to take his pills that day. I don't see how anyone with an entire brain could be OK with that. That's more than racist, that's just being an ass. "Negro" isn't necessarily a racist word, but the writer is obviously making fun of Obama being black.
 
Jo-Jo said:
Obama isn't a fictional character. The point of criticizing 'Magic Negro' as an archetype is that it's an example of (usually white) writers trying to show a black character in a positive light, but going too far and 'othering' them by turning them into a magic man. But if the Repubs were trying to invoke that stereotype, they misfired, because the implication they've created is that Obama is trying to 'other' himself. Basically, they're accusing him of playing the race card. And they're suggesting that Obama-hype is ridiculous because nobody really believes that wise, inspirational black men exist outside of the Magic Negroes in fiction. How is that not racist??
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Let's be honest here. I was a Obama supporter from start to finish. I would have voted for him, where I an American citizen, and I'm very, very glad he won.

But that doesn't mean I have to be blind to the faults of some of his partisans. Was race a factor in the election, and not just on the vote-against-him side? (Perhaps not played by Obama himself, but by some of his supporters certainly)? Were there some people who, consciously or not, associated Obama's physical difference with his being "otherly", which is just another word for different, in OTHER domains, too (ie, "the different politician")? Briefly put, did this idea that Obama was "otherly" play a role in the election? Is it very, very, possible that Obama was seen, in effect, as a "Magic Negro who's going to fix white politics and assuage our guilt!" by a non-negligible portion of the electorate?

If you think you can answer "Certainly not!" to any of these questions, you're deluding yourself. There is a possibility the factors played no role, but at least an equal possibility they did help the election

Now, it's entirely possible that the RNC and other involved parties brought this up for all the wrong reason. God knows they're perfectly able to do moronic stuff (as are Obama supporters). But there are good reason to talk about Magical Negroes and Obama in the same sentence, and the satire is not wholly illegitimate.

It's still very dumb, because a lot of people are not familiar with the term magical negro, and are going to see it and assume racism. But it's not racist in and of itself (Which doesn't mean some of the people involved didn't MEAN it as racism. Just that not EVERYONE involved in writing the OP piece, the song, and distributing it is automatically racist).
 
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I'm beginning to wonder if some of the people in this thread understand what a satire is. In short, it's tongue-in-cheek. In other words, it's not meant to be serious, no matter how racist it seems. I wish I had access to the original piece, but working with what I have I'd have to guess that this is making it seem that Obama is assuming the "Magic Negro" role from fiction. The Magic Negro role can involve supernatural powers, so this is taking the idea that Obama is some great man and, like any good satire, is stretching that idea and claiming that people view him as a magic negro.
 
I thought the song was clever.

At least they didn't include 'Nigger' in the song title.
 
What "negro" means

Negroes are black people. Most people don't use it that much because it's seen as somewhat offensive. That's what the Confederates used to call African Americans.
 
I know

Yeah, I know, I speak some Spanish. But it's usually racist people who use the word negro. I'm not saying that everyone who uses that word is a racist, but my African American friends don't usually like to be called negro, at least by white people. And this is really weird, but whenever I try to use the quick reply on this thread, I log myself out and then I have to log in again and use this box.
 
Oh I guess I really meant whats black peeps? I'm from Connecticut and everyone here is white. I didn't even know there were other colors of people until I saw a travel brochure for Jamaica that one of my public school friends has. I brought it home but my mom burned it.
 
You're kidding, right?

You don't know what a black person is? Wow, you need to go see the rest of the world (if your mom lets you). Have you ever seen Obama, like on TV or something? He's African American. African American, blacks, and negros are all the same kind of people. AND I HATE THIS THING WHERE I HAVE TO KEEP LOGGING IN AND OUT!!!
 
Hopefully this stupid Quick Reply will work, I changed browsers. Look, I always thought I came from a weird state. The governor is Arnold Schwarzenegger. I never thought that the diversity we had didn't exist elsewhere! (I live in in a house in California). Although there aren't many minorities where I live (the main minority is Asian, which I am), I still have met a lot of African Americans. And I don't believe that you've never even met even ONE black person in your entire life.
 
I've never met someone that wasn't the same color as me. But Connecticut is a really small state! Much smaller than Alaska, which is where I'm assuming you're from.
 
Umm...I really wouldn't like to be that close to Sarah Palin...no offense if you like her. So you've never met any blacks, asians, latinos, or anyone except whites? And...Alaska has basically no people there at all. Except for fishermen. And moose hunters like Palin. California (WHERE I'M FROM LIKE I ALREADY TOLD YOU) has the most people.
 
Oh! I didn't see. I thought Schwarz was the governor of Alaska. My bad! But I thought a lot of people lived there because it's so big.
I don't know Sarah Palin. Is she even from Connecticut? I might know her school.
I guess California does have a lot of people, even though it's not as big as Alaska!
 
I'm pretty sure Palin is from Alaska, and always lived in Alaska, and doesn't know anything about anything except Alaska. Obama is from Honolulu (Yay for Honolulu, that's where my family is from!) but was elected as the junior senator from Illinois. McCain is from the Canal Zone in Panama, which was part of the United States when he was born. He represents Arizona. I'm not sure where Biden is from, but he was elected as the kajillion-term Senator out of Delaware.
 
Dialgarules said:
I'm pretty sure Palin is from Alaska, and always lived in Alaska, and doesn't know anything about anything except Alaska. Obama is from Honolulu (Yay for Honolulu, that's where my family is from!) but was elected as the junior senator from Illinois. McCain is from the Canal Zone in Panama, which was part of the United States when he was born. He was elected out of Arizona. I'm not sure where Biden is from, but he was elected as the kajillion-term Senator out of Delaware.
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She went to college in Idaho, so I think that counts for something. And I think there isn't evidence that Obama was actually born there.

But mary c, that's sort of sad. I hope your parents don't hide things from you forever.
 
Oh ok, I guess I wouldn't know her then. I've never been there. Is Obama senator in the US? Like in Washington DC and everything? I thought you had to be born in the US to be a senator here! I don't know who McCain or Panama or Biden is.
 
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