Barack Obama — America's Magical Negro?
So folks seem just giddy as all heck about Barack Obama’s almost-but-not-quite an announcement on his presidential aspirations. Seeing all the white folks holding up signs with his name on it and hearing their poignant hopes of deliverance that he seems to engender, well, it got a sister to thinking.
Things are bad here in America. America has started to wake up — and it doesn’t like what it sees in the mirror. Especially with George Bush staring back just over their shoulder.
Barack Obama looks to be as different as can be. Maybe like Morpheus or the Oracle in the Matrix or Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy or Bruce Almighty or even Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act or Ghost, Obama can redeem the soul and character of our nation. Yes, that’s right. Perhaps he’s the biggest Magical Negro we’ve ever created for ourselves in our country’s history.
What’s a “magical negro“, you ask? From the Wikipedia:
When he first encounters the (invariably white) protagonist, the magical negro often appears as someone uneducated and in a low station of life, such as a janitor or prisoner. The black character is depicted as wiser and spiritually deeper than the protagonist, and the magical negro is often used as a plot device to help the protagonist get out of trouble, and to help the white character recognize his own faults and overcome them. As a plot device, the magical negro is similar to the Deus ex machina; a simple way for the protagonist to overcome an obstacle almost entirely through outside help.
Prometheus 6 asks if people (white people, really) are mad enough to vote for a Black guy and send a strong anti-establishment message? Is it possible that Obama’s popularity strikes an even deeper, archetypal chord than we may have imagined?
One thing’s for sure, Obama may be Magical and Safe, but ain’t nothin’ magical about Al Sharpton. ‘Cept possibly his hair.
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Filed Under: Barack Obama
Great Post!
I’ve been wondering for some time why I’m not feeling Barack Obama presidency ambitions. There are many reasons. But one of the most important reasons that came to mind after reading your post is, I candidly don’t want to see a black man go into the white house to clean up the white man’s mess.
For hundreds of years black men (and women) have been cleaning up the mess of white men. Is it not time for blacks to say, hey, you made this mess you clean it up?
But one of the most important reasons that came to mind after reading your post is, I candidly don’t want to see a black man go into the white house to clean up the white man’s mess.
For hundreds of years black men (and women) have been cleaning up the mess of white men. Is it not time for blacks to say, hey, you made this mess you clean it up?
You think that a Black person can get elected if this country weren’t in trouble?
LOL
Come on.
I’m thinking of certain Fortune 500 CEO’s who are African-American. And, who, coincidentally, were chosen just as their companies were at their lowest ebb.
That’s when ‘we’ get the chance.
Not when things are going well.
Black people don’t get ‘ the right time’. It’s never ‘ the right time’.
We get the ‘ maybe it’s not going to be hell’ time.
Prometheus 6 asks if people (white people, really) are mad enough to vote for a Black guy and send a strong anti-establishment message? Is it possible that Obama’s popularity strikes an even deeper, archetypal chord than we may have imagined?
I honestly believe that White people are seriously waking up to how pathetic a state this country is in. Enough of them are coming around..maybe not turning progressive, but going a collective ‘ WTF’
If nothing else, the majority population always looks out for their best interests. And, if they think Obama can serve that, then they’ll vote for him.
Rikyrah,
I’m not sure Maslows theory works when it comes to the majority of white Americans, the U.S. Presidency and the election of a black amn or women to that position.
Congress yes, Mayor yes, Gov Yes, President of the U.S. Oh hell no!
Listen, they voted for this clown twice. (although ripped off both elections) It won’t be the first time an American president screwed up. Remember slavery under 15 presidents? Remember the trail of tears? Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Jim Crow?
The American public is fickle, today they love “smilin” Obama, but don’t let him say something that shows any type of true and real blackness, then forget about it!
I may be wrong but that is my gut thought.
Hey, I’m a Mexican-American who’s interested in this magical-negro phenomenon, and I was just thinking that maybe all the gridded white folks who are holding up signs for Barack have a deeply buried sense of white man’s guilt that spurs them into getting excited for a black candidate. Maybe the fervor isn’t as genuine as the rest of us minorities would appreciate, but the way I see it, it doesn’t matter. As long as we can get those madmen out of the white house, any support, even, guilt-riddled support, is welcome.
I really do wish people would stop buying into Limbaugh’s misuse of the term “magical negro”. The concept is roughly equivalent to the idea of the “noble savage”, except that instead of having the answers to all the really important questions because of a place outside of “civilized society”, the “magical negro” is a stock character who has the answers to all the really important questions because of his position in civilized society but in a humble social strata. To suggest that a Presidential candidate is in a humble social position is ludicrous and to assist Rush Limbaugh in tagging Obama with this epithet only assists Limbaugh in his quest to perpetuate the idea that white politicians should be judged on their merits and black politicians should be judged on their blackness.
Clearly I don’t get the problem about Senator Obama running for President. Where are you folks planning on moving in say the next 150 years? Unless you have homesteaded a whole new planet, black folks will be sitting,standing,lying on this soil, so best somebody get out there and run for President. I love to hear the glass is half full or I don’t even have a glass rim shots. If you are smart enough to clean up the mess, why not clean it up? If you stand around waiting for this country’s history to get right, it’s attitude to get right and for things to hit delicate feelings just right, well, you know the answer to that. I love Obama …he has the audacity to run, even though he knows blacks and whites who don’t have the smarts or guts to run are going to be taking pot shots at him! Those that can… do and everybody wants to be a social worker or a teacher! First there was Nelson and now Obama!
“I candidly don’t want to see a black man go into the white house to clean up the white man’s mess”. looking back at this post, its interesting if many of these commenters feel the same way now as they did back then about having Obama as their president.
“I candidly don’t want to see a black man go into the white house to clean up the white man’s mess”. looking back at this post, its interesting if many of these commenters feel the same way now as they did back then about having Obama as their president.
“I candidly don’t want to see a black man go into the white house to clean up the white man’s mess”. looking back at this post, its interesting if many of these commenters feel the same way now as they did back then about having Obama as their president.