By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
The national GOP loses again with a new controversy over the "Barack the Magic Negro" song. It's a racist piece of tripe.
The song feeds into the worst stereotypes about blacks -- especially the Rev. Al Sharpton of New York -- and their supposed need for all kinds of handouts.
Here are the song and lyrics for those who want to make up their own minds.
This issue is getting national attention because Chip Saltsman recently sent Republican National Committee members a CD that included the song by comedian Paul Shanklin.
Saltsman is seeking the chairmanship of the RNC. He said the song was part of the "light-hearted political parodies" he sent to the members.
But what was Saltsman thinking? That this CD would appeal to the anti-black portion of the RNC?
Congratulations to current RNC Chairman Robert Duncan for decrying Saltsman's indiscretion.
"The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party," Duncan said. "I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate, as it clearly does not move us in the right direction."
Saltsman and others have pointed out that the song was played on Rush Limbaugh's radio program -- as if that excuses the decision to promote such a racist attack on Obama and other black politicians.
Delicious
Digg
ed hardy ed hardy ed hardy
ed hardy ed hardy
ed hardy clothing ed hardy clothing
ed hardy shop ed hardy shop
christian audigier christian audigier
ed hardy cheap ed hardy cheap
ed hardy outlet ed hardy outlet
ed hardy sale ed hardy sale
ed hardy store ed hardy store
ed hardy mens ed hardy mens
ed hardy womens ed hardy womens
ed hardy kids ed hardy kids ed hardy kids
If you love fashion,you must
If you love fashion,you must konw abercrombie and fitch
and you are a abercrombie manor
abercrombie womensand
hollister clothingis also very fashion.
And you know RuehlNo.925
I also like abercrombie outlet,and you?
Offensive Barack Parody Embraced By The GOP
As Politico reported today, many core GOP supporters think that the wisdom to distribute an offensive, racially stereotypical parody is a good thing to have in a party leader.
Hey, why unite behind Obama at the start of his presidency, when you can engage in nasty, petty snarkiness?
As I blogged today, continuing this mean-spirited approach will make the GOP go the way of the Betamax and the Whig party.
http://scootmandubious.blogspot.com/2008/12/will-offensive-barack-parody-help.html
That just goes to show you
That just goes to show you that racism is alive and well today.
And I am not talking about the song or it's writer either- and probably not even Saltsman(who obviously didn't think before he sent it).
"You will learn far more about yourself, when you share your opinions with people, than people will learn about you- as long as you have an open mind."
I guess I am the only one who doesn't think it matters
if it is racist or not. It's stupid, middle school humor. That's all that we need to know.
Those of us who have been paying attention know the GOP is not supportive of 'Negro' causes or policies that favor 'Negroes'. That's a no-brainer.
But the beauty of this stupid little song they all think is so funny is that it exposes their stupidity and childish sense of humor.
Agreed
Indeed, racist or not, it was an amazingly boneheaded move. Just dumb.
And you wonder why there
And you wonder why there aren't more minorities in the republican party. Same reason, perhaps, that there weren't more white black panthers? KCGRH, twas, you'd look sweet in a beret and black leather coat. I'd pay money to see it.
If we don't protect the freedom of speech how will we know who the a$$#@les are?
Go ahead! Embrace your racism!
It's not like you CONs are fooling anyone. We know it's racism that makes you think "Barack the Magic Negro" is just about the funniest thing this side or Rastus jokes.
And we know where to find folks who chuckle when they type Barack HUSSEIN Obama and chuckle about how much Obama sounds like Osama and how they both "pal around with terrorists; you find them in trailer parks upwind of a meth lab, in rusted pick-up trucks, and Republic Party leadership meetings.
It's really painful sometimes to read your contortional rationalizations which purport to prove your lack of racism. Why back away from it? Strip yourself of that lying snake skin of fake indignity when you're confronted with your bigotry against African-Americans, Hispanics, Gays, Lesbians, intellectuals, and teenaged loose women. It's not like your present strategy is working that well for you anymore.
Trot out your jokes about the Obamas being just another bunch of blacks living in public housing. (I've already heard one of your right-wingnut radio oracles doing fifteen minutes on the new presidential limo -- "A big-ol' gas-guzzlin', tricked-out Cad'lac! Bling!")
It's who you are. You know you are. Embrace your racism, don't deny it.
QUIET!
Look at Obama's hair-thin, seven-million-vote margin in the election and see how much damage all the racist verbiage in the election did to his chances. Now think how badly he's going to get beaten in '12 if right-wing radio succeeds in portraying him as a pimped-out-Cadillac-convertible driving, white-lipped, bone-in-his-nose welfare coon with a white woman in the front seat and a stolen big-screen TV in the back.
Or maybe not.
Seriously, monkeyhawk. If the right wants to marginalize itself even further and become the party of Bull Connor, maybe we should all be vewwy, vewwy quiet.
The gay writer at the
The gay writer at the birthplace of the Magic Negro term catches no flak for his input, but the second it is brought up to heap dirt on the Republican party, the Pee Cee crowd erupts in defense of the downtrodden blacks who now have no disadvantages left thanks to the Magic Negro.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story
I suggest the liberals spend some time researching how badly Africa is faring now that it is under black rule. Perhaps a return to white rule is necessary to save the truly suffering blacks in Africa. Boys, the bandwagon is passing, hop aboard and do some real good for some truly disadvantaged people. You are wasting your time bashing a silly song.
Hatred on the Right?
Please. Look in the mirror if you want to see some hatred Bam Bam.
Hate the game
Sonofrogue... Don't hate the playa, hate the game..
In what way is the GOP hurt?
Perhaps they are just "rallying the base" again.
Hey Edith
Go pound sand, you know where. What a dingbat loser. If you cannot stand someone poking a little fun at the Messiah, I pity your sorry butt. It is going to be a long four years for you too!
I guess it's all right to call Bush a Nazi, but heaven help you if you call Jomama, the "Magic Negro". Give us all a break Edie Baby an lighten your ass up a bit!
Shanklin's parody ....Racist?
When Limbaugh first played "Barack, the Magic Negro" I found it clever, though a bit silly....like most of Shanklin's humor.
I read the article in the LA Times (which Limbaugh referenced in his original playing in March or April) and recalled Spike Lee's use of the term in an interview from a decade or so ago.
I profoundly disagree, however, with those who find it racist. It is a poor attempt at humor......nothing more.
Those who see it as more wallow in the politically correct world of impractical delusion. They see the parody as racist. Those are the same folks (like Yael) who relished Hillary, yet found Palin to be nothing more than comedy fodder. I found no more humor in the cultural bigotry (which is what most Palin jokes were) of Palin bashing than I did in Shanklin's parody.
Even the posts on this thread are revealing: denial of the undeniable...(LA Times is not a liberal newspaper), all racists are Republicans (what about Lewis Diuguid?)
I do agree however, that Duncan is spot on in his assessment of the needs of the GOP to retool itself and re anchor its base. Saltsman's action was in poor taste and was counter productive to that goal.
Of course it's racist
"Well, Spike Lee said 'Magic Negro' back in the nineties, so of course it's not racist."
What brainless b.s. I personally got sick of racist morons whining, "What's wrong with saying 'nigger'? Hey, THEY call each other 'nigger' all the time!" forty years ago. You apparently didn't, and have joined Rogue in the, "Hey, Teddy Kennedy called Obama 'Yomama' once, so when I say it it can't be racist!" club.
And your attempt to somehow link this crap to press coverage of the demented Sarah Palin, who isn't qualified to be mayor of Moose Droppings, Alaska, much less Vice President of the United States, is pathetic.
Finally, if you object to linking the Republican Party to racism, please explain the racial composition of the Republican National Convention. Or is it the fault of those feckless darkies, who just can't see all the benefits that Republican Party membership would provide?
Republican Party racism
Magic What? If the Republican Party is not racist, they are certainly out of touch with most of the American people. I agree with you Edith and for those who think that most Black-Americans call each other nigger, which sprouted from the same place as negro, have been watching to many gangster rap videos and movies made by whites with a poor perception of black culture! They cannot rebuild the party with this kind of foolishness.
Palin
I disagree. She's qualified to be mayor of Moose Droppings, AK.
...
...
Face of the New Nation
Face it Kansas City, the next president of the United States of America is African-American. If you don't like it... Go back to Europe.... America was never yours to begin with. There were Native Americas here before you "discovered" America dummy.
The truth hurts sometimes. Grab a latte, a Coke, or whatever you drink, listen to Rush and stew in your own misery as the people take back the country that belonged to them.
I love reading you guys spew hatred toward everybody but yourself. Who's losing control now? Yael one few times I agree with you.
Bigotry comes in many forms, my dear
Yours is usually on full display in your absolute intolerance of those who do not share your viewpoints. You label anyone to the right of the ACLU a "right wing loon". You blithely call Palin insane, a litigious accusation in some states, yet unhesitatingly link your name to inappropiate descriptors of race that I have never in my 63 years uttered nor written.
Your world is a sad, narrow one, indeed. Perhaps I was unclear. I was not linking press coverage ....I was linking types of tasteless, bad humor and the reactions of the press thereto.
If you take pleasure in assigning the racist label to all republicans, go right ahead. Since I am neither of those I take no personal umbrage. It is nothing but further evidence of your narrow perspective.
Bigotry comes in many forms, my dear
Such as addressing those you feel to be female as, "My dear."
Please name the states in which calling someone in the public eye "insane" is actionable.
What you choose to ignore is that "Negro" is as unacceptable in current public discourse as "nigger" was fifty years ago. You have never heard anyone refer to the Negro question in a panel discussion on television, you have never seen the word used in the Star in reportage of a crime, you have never heard someone in HR boast of their company's achievements in recruiting Negroes. You choose to defend "Negro" as an acceptable descriptor of race in "light political satire," go for it.
And I breathlessly await your forthcoming explanation of the incredible racial composition of the Republican Convention. YOU were objecting to the characterization of the Republicans as racist. That's YOUR objection, and has nothing to do with whether you're a Republican or not.
Finally, meet your new friend Rogue, right below. He awaits in the Original Maverick. Enjoy the ride.
Hey Edith
How about the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum? I believe the Star has done many stories. Are they racist?
But That's "Different" twas
As is the rapster music screaming nigger and 'ho. It's the old do as I say, not as a do game, and libs play it to the hilt.
Everytime I have been to P&L District, I have heard AA's utter the nigger word, and it is perfectly ok because they are saying it to each other. What self-serving bs....
And the Washington hypocrite chimes in...
As I said below, there's been racist pigs whining that, "Hey, they call each other 'nigger' all the time, so I can say it too!" since Day One. Who do you impress with this kind of crap? Do you actually have friends who laugh along with you at the foolish garboons and their funny behavior? Do you resent the fact that you can't call Italians wops, Polish-Ameicans polacks, or Irish-Americans micks without catching a fistful of enlightment between the landing lights? I make exception, of course, for the possibility of you being a guinea, a honky, or a bogtrotter.
You're the One Using the Names Edith, DEAR
I think you must get your jollies by seeing these in print. It does no good to repeat these hateful remarks, but I don't know how the lib "mind" works... Thank God
Can Edith be shunned?
Conservatives, I mean racists, out there. Why do we give him/her the satisfaction of responses? Let him/her rant on. Maybe the other liberals will get tired and ask him/her to shut up.
Good Idea Twas...
I will no longer reply to Dear Edith the lib...
How sweet
Now Tweedledee and Tweedledumb can go back to pretending that this is their playground to make snippy remarks about libs, homos, Those People, and other social inferiors without recrimination. kcgrh, in particular, will continue to collect a Federal paycheck in far-off D.C. while wasting my tax money posting on this blog.
Oh, this is going to be fun.
Were you a native speaker of English
You'd recognize the difference between my appropriate use of the terms, which does a lot of good in pointing up your insufferable racism, and your own con racism.
Of Course Edith...
I should have "known" that your repeated use of the terms was somehow appropriate... You libs are a blast.
My apology edith
For use of the pejorative, condescending "my dear"....it was inappropriate.
I will get back to you regarding the states in which accusing someone of being insane is actionable......requires research and am headed out the door.
I did NOT object to the characterization of republicans as racist and, indeed I do believe that the GOP must improve its diversification to remain viable going forward.
My point of objection was maxiemom's posit that "if you are a racist, you are a republican", which is absolute nonsense.
Yours for more and stronger
Yours for more and stronger coffee
Racist? Seriously???
Instead of simply branding the song as "racist," I would appreciate it if someone could explain how the song is "racist." Does it, at any point, claim or insinuate that the black race is inferior to other races? I've listened the song many times and I can find no part of the song that espouses such views. Perhaps you may not agree with the views expressed in the song or it may not be your style of humor; however, it is utterly irresponsible to place such an extreme label on this particular parody.
Not just racist. Dumb.
First off, the LA Times is not a "liberal" newspaper.
The term "magic Negro" is racist at its core but not in a derogatory way. Think about that for a second. It's an obvious oxymoron and not without irony. It how Hollywood describes actors such as Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, Will Smith....
In broadest of terms, the term is used to describe an actor who could not be believable as a villain.
The context of the LA Times commentary came when the Republic Party was struggling with its message to demonize Obama. Lord knows they tried.
"Obama = Osama"
"Barack HUSSEIN! Obama"
"Terrorist Fist Bump"
"Born in Kenya"
"...pals around with terrorists"
"...doesn't know the words to the Pledge of Allegience"
"...hates fluffy kittens...."
Only the dolts (albeit, an important wing of the Republic Party coalition) believed any of that Rovian crap this year. Because the mud didn't stick. People didn't buy Obama as a villain any more than Morgan Freeman (great an actor as he is) could have been the voice of Darth Vader.
The term "Magic Negro" is insider jargon in the movie business. The use of the term for the Limbaugh-tomized Masses was overtly racist but even worse, it was clueless. It's like hearing a nun reciting a Sarah Silverman routine.
Imagine your grandmother saying "I'm gangstah wit' that!" She might know the words but doesn't know the music.
Limbaugh glommed onto an opportunity to say "Negro" on the air while "not making race an issue."
Finally, its use as a campaign tool is simply ignorant. It's stupid politics. The Republic Party has been pretty good at stupidity, lately. Keep it up, guys.
Good indicator of what Limbaugh and many in the ....
Republican Party stand for. I wonder how much lower they will go.
Not Funny
Some of you people are deeply disturbed if you think this is the least bit amusing. I listened to the first part of it: even the accent used by the person warbling this tripe is insulting! It doesn't matter what kind of background you want to ascribe to it: what matters is what this awful, racist 'song' says when taken as an individual entity. MOST PEOPLE WHO LISTEN TO THIS DISGUSTING PIECE OF TRASH WON'T HAVE A CLUE WHAT ITS BACKGROUND IS, NOR WILL THEY CARE! To pretend any different is being disengenuous at best, and is simply aiding and abetting racism as well. There is no excuse for it. It takes a truly twisted and perverse mind to find this revolting piece of trash remotely funny. Those of you who are defending it are simply showing your true stripes, which is a sad commentary on life in the 21st century. Racism is alive and well in the Republican party: if you are a racist, you are a Republican. It's obviously so ingrained some of them don't even see it when it hits them in the face: if you can't see that this 'song' is racist, then you are.
Wow, Maxiemom
".... if you are a racist, you are a Republican...". Would that be like saying: "if you are black, you are a liberal"? And "if you are a racist, you can't be a Democrat"? What about reverse-racism? What about, in the presidential campaign, "if you are black, you must vote for Obama"?
I think, Maxiemom, you are a racist. The kind that pulls the race card regularly. So, I guess my 85-year devote Christian republican mother is also a racist.
Your post would have been more effective if YOUR racism hadn't come out.
Context is meaning.....
Context is meaning..... especially in this case. The term Magic Negro used in the context of the LA Times article (see previous link) is rather acedemic. In the different context of the republican "jingle" and Rush Limbaugh it takes on a different nuance,eh?
I can, for instance, discuss the pharmacological uses and charascteristics of OxyContin and mean one thing but use it in a sentence with Rush Limbaugh and it takes on an entirely different context.
If we don't protect the freedom of speech how will we know who the a$$#@les are?
So Alexx1984 - are you just going to ignore?
Are you going to ignore where the term came from and how it has subsequently been used? Are you just going to assume it's to denigrate Obama? Wrong - it's against the wild-eyed crazy media.
Tell the whole story, Yael
Why didn't you include in your post that the term "the magic negro" was coined by a liberal newspaper? Was it intentional so you could get more "bang for your buck"? Rush Limbaugh's playing of the parody was always to make light of the liberal press - and not Obama himself. I guess you hear what you want to hear! Much of what Limbaugh says about Obama is directed towards the supporters and apologists, and not the man.
The term "Magic Negro"
The term "Magic Negro" originated in an L.A. Times column. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story
Having endured the massive rug beatings given by the apologists since it's coining, it has assumed the tenacity of the "Energizer bunny". Attempts to make wheat from chaff and votes from innuendo have and will continue to fail. This term and the album on which it appears are jokes and parodies suffered lightly by all but the Pee Cees. Find another standard to bear.
Political "Correctness"
Walleye wrote"
"This term and the album on which it appears are jokes and parodies suffered lightly by all but the Pee Cees."
You can say the same about anything that is tasteless, degrading, and, in this case, not even vaguely amusing. Objections to the word "nigger" are too "PC" for the song writers, apparently, so they chickened out and used an archaic word - racist cowards can't stand up for their "convictions." Why shouldn't racist Republicans buck political correctness altogether and use the racist term in the song? Right, Walleye - you magic bigot. I know you won't object if I insult you, white boy - I'm bucking PeeCee and calling a wingunt a wingnut. Nothing toucy-feely about moi.