As if the discussion of Barack Obama’s authenticity as a black man wasn’t enough, a March 19 LA Times op-ed written by columnist David Ehrenstein attacks his supporters, claiming whites support him in order to assauge white guilt by supporting the “Magic Negro.”
He describes the “Magic Negro” as being “a figure of postmodern folk culture, coined by snarky 20th century sociologists, to explain a cultural figure who emerged in the wake of Brown vs. Board of Education.” Quoting Wikipedia(because it’s such a credible source of information) he says: “He has no past, he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist.” (By the way, they couldn’t get the URL right…shout out to Pajamas Media!) Morgan Freeman, Will Smith, Don Cheadle are some of today’s “Magic Negroes” in Hollywood, he says. While Al Sharpton and Snoop Dogg are authentic, Barack is not.
Of course, Rush Limbaugh had to chime in, using the term “magic negro” 27 times on his talk radio show and singing “Barack, the Magic Negro” to the tune of “Puff, the Magic Dragon.”
How bout we all just sing, “Rush, the Magic Moron” instead?
Cheap Thrills: Obama’s Texting Blitz From an Ad Girl’s Perspective
Bush Plays Beach Volleyball While the Post-American World Burns. Max Zimbert takes him to task.
Obama’s Looking to be the ‘Text’ President. Torey Van Oot dissects the strategy.
Plagiarism: Does the Medium Define the Word? Chris Nelson poses the question to some people with answers.
P+P @ the DNC! Help finance our coverage of the event - check here for how to donate!
Britney, Russell Brand, and the elephant in the room. 
Shazia Haq: The Boredom’s Are Anything But Boring
From Shaft to Chef, we bid adieu to Isaac Hayes, cool before cool was cool.
Tricia Romano muses on her time spent watching the late Bernie Mac, and how he got her through a self-imposed social exile.
Geek Love: I am an GTD Geek, Hear Me Roar.
Entries
March 22nd, 2007 at 3:45 pm
[...] People Are Saying Barack, the Magic Negro Morgan Freeman, Will Smith, Don Cheadle are some of today?s ?Magic Negroes? in Hollywood, he says. [...]
March 23rd, 2007 at 1:22 am
Barack, the Magic Negro…
…
March 27th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Why do people have to go there? Are Newt, Delay, Dubya “magic white boys” because they have such a strong backing by white fundamentals and evangelicals? Why is it so hard for Americans to accept that there are exceptional people of color - “you’re so articulate!” - there’s no magic here! Just a mind that functions extremely well - is this ‘magic negro” stuff to scare off those people who want a prez to be a “guy you can sit down and have a beer with” (like W) so that he can be brushed aside as being just a little too smart for some white folk? People who are that egotistical and chauvinistic are quite mad, and probably wouldn’t vote for a person of color, or a woman for that matter, anyway.
What is it about the ego that makes it impossible to accept the greatness of others, or to view it as a put down? If I were you, I wouldn’t care what Rush says, because you never know if he is high or not - he is “nuke-a-la” as far as I’m concerned!