http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2008/12/29/the_break Comments On: The Break by Charles Mudede en-us Copyright 2009 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:01 -0800 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:45:00 -0800 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by Will in Santa Barbara]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:26:21 -0800 The Stranger
First, it's inappropriate to treat this eruption out of context. Context is this case includes reading and considering (black, gay, liberal) opinionist David Ehrenstein's March 2007 LA Times piece
Obama the 'Magic Negro', subtitled "The Illinois senator lends himself to white America's idealized, less-than-real black man". This in turn commends a reading of the literature on the "Magic Negro" coinage (recognizing a particular stock character relationship of long standing, in turn a variant of "noble savage" caricature). This may have entered the film study lexicon as recently as October 1998, and of late aggressively popularized by Spike Lee.

Knocking off one cheap falsehood (used upthread to disqualify the analogy), the Magic Negro doesn't usually die (even if you "learned" from Mudede that he does). Poitier doesn't usually die. Morgan Freeman doesn't usually die. Whoopi Goldberg doesn't usually die, especially in Star Trek (where there are backstory hints that "Guinan" may not be merely quasi-immortal, but metaphysical). South Park's "Chef" doesn't usually die (until the South Park satirists rumble with Isaac Hayes' Scientology posse).

Another cheap deflection upthread is the assertion that Obama'08 doesn't fit the Magic Negro because he's the protagonist, not the occult assistive figure. This is simple reflexive rejection. Taking Ehrenstein's analogy on its own terms, White Liberal America is the protagonist, and his recognition of Obama's stock-character attributes is on point.

Another lame pretense is that RNC distributed either of a couple of widely-circulated videos constructed around Shanklin'S "Puff" filk. This is not the case.

The most widely-seen video was propagated by 'jesterdomain', an apparent antagonist of Bush, Rush, et al.

The less accessible, more offensive version is "U da real Negro Al, Screw Obama". This contains one photoshopped image of Barack in KKK robes, one image of Sharpton as a Joker, and a few mainstream-acceptable political cartoon caricatures of Sharpton. This was constructed not by the RNC ... not by Rush ... not by Shanklin ... but by obsessively pissed-off black conservative 'Snoop' at politicalpartypoop.com ... a sad case indeed.

If you're trying to skewer the Republican Party for propagating offensively racist imagery, you are proceeding on premises that would be insufficient even if they were true.

Also note that Shanklin's "Puff" is a rip on Sharpton and his sense of camera-hogging entitlement, not on Obama -- as are both of the videos in question. And Sharpton routinely finds himself on the receiving end of even less charitable treatment originating in the black community and culture.

Scraping it to bare bones, Shanklin appropriated a culturally current and (arguably) culturally-relevant expression to anchor a piece of mediocre satire (and even lower-quality filk). One of several aspirants to a big desk in the Republican party bureaucracy picked it up as part of a collection of similar material and shared it with colleagues.

There's nothing here that will bring down a political party. There's not even a proper pretext for racially-sensitive outrage except ... sheer pretext.

As a pretext for unfounded OUTRAGE, this incident is the public-discourse equivalent of something too many black motorist are too, too, familiar with -- the pretext stop.



Posted by RonK, Seattle]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:38:36 -0800 The Stranger
2) The GOP is currently operating the biggest tent. It could, in theory, split into two smaller -- but still large enough -- tents. One would be social -- the far right -- the other would be economic -- the fiscal conservatives. They could both then broaden what they're doing to appeal to independents.

3) This would be bad for everybody, but it seems almost foregone.

Posted by Matt Fuckin' Hickey]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:56:32 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Non]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:10:34 -0800 The Stranger Posted by east coaster]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:05:47 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Vince]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:31:07 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Thought I Saw A Bum]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:26:50 -0800 The Stranger
How does this relate to "Barrack the Magic Negro"? It doesn't. That is to say, that song will not be the rift between Republicans and any new party, unless the new party is the Redneck Trailer-Trash Party, and it won't be.


Posted by Mahtli69]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:13:38 -0800 The Stranger
During the primary you often heard Clintonites accuse Obama supporters of liking Obama because he is "your black friend that makes you cool". Again, they were trying to push Obama out of the role of leader into a secondary place, making him a mere sidekick. Subtle, but that's how the dog whistle plays.
Posted by elenchos]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:12:35 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Sammy J]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 10:01:02 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Greg]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:43:40 -0800 The Stranger
And the Republicans wonder why such a low percentage of blacks vote for them.
Posted by Reverse Polarity]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:34:25 -0800 The Stranger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_neg…

it isn't without some basis
Posted by Morgan Freeman]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:28:47 -0800 The Stranger Posted by NapoleonXIV]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:28:28 -0800 The Stranger