Barack the Magic Negro Causes Controversy
Chris Saltman, Candidate for RNC Chairman, Gives the Gift of Satire
Controversy and acrimony has ensued.
Baracl the Magic Negro, who title is taken from a LA Times Article, was popularized by Rush Limbaugh on his nationally syndicated talk show. The song, sung in the voice of Al Sharpton an dto the tune of Puff the Magic Dragon, mocks President Elect Barack Obama and suggests that much of his support stems from white guilt, while at the same time Obama is a "safe" kind of African American politician and not frightening, like Al Sharpton.
The first few lines go like this.
"Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C.
The L.A. Times, they called him that
'Cause he's not authentic like me.
Yeah, the guy from the L.A. paper
Said he makes guilty whites feel good
They'll vote for him, and not for me
'Cause he's not from the hood.
See, real black men, like Snoop Dog,
Or me, or Farrakhan
Have talked the talk, and walked the walk.
Not come in late and won!"
Responding to suggestions that he may have harmed his chances for the RNC Chairmanship, Saltsman said, "I think most people recognize political satire when they see it, I think RNC members understand that." The Shanklin CD also has songs ridiculing former Senator and Presidential candidate John Edwards and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright,
Barack the Magic Negro is laugh out loud political satire, but also such that is designed to make people uncomfortable, since it wanders into the minefield of race in America. Liberals are by nature humor impaired when it comes to poking fun at their icons. Conservatives, on the other hand, live with the fear of being called racist, so people who think Saltman may have damaged himself may have a point.
Ironically, the Republicans may turn to former Ohio Secretary of State and candidate for Governor of Ohio Ken Blackwell, an African American conservative popular among the party base, Steve Forbes, a former candidate for President and champion of reforms such as the flat tax, has endorsed Blackwell. Blackwell also has ties to former House Speaker and conservative thinker Newt Gingrich.
Sources: Barack the Magic Negro Parody, Cathryn Friar, Right Pundits, December 26th, 2008
Barack the Magic Negro, YouTube
Published by Mark Whittington
Mark R. Whittington is a writer residing in Houston, Texas. He is the author of The Last Moonwalker, Children of Apollo, Dark Sanction, and Nocturne. He has written numerous articles, some for the Washington... View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentWhether the lyrics are offensive or not is debatable, but I'd rather see Michael Steele in this position, anyway.
Someone I know was called racists for accidentally leaving black pepper spilled on the table at their place of employment. A black man filed a complaint saying it had racial overtures that offended him, and he got a company hearing on it. Nothing was said by anyone...no comments...nothing...just a little black pepper spilt on the table.
What about the LA Times opinion peice on 3/19/2007 written by a black man? This is apparently what inspired the song. Why aren't people calling that man a racist?
Why is it fair to assume a white person is a racist when they basically take the words of a black author & put it to music?
I would have said it was funny till I actually read the lyrics, he could have done much better but it was a great idea. Lighten up a bit people, some comedians make a living off of making fun of races, white, black, hispanic, asian- it doesn't matter.
adding to last sentence in previous post, "...their own support or opposition for the man..."
Why is it ok to do satire on old white guys and not young black guys? The verses shown in the article didn't even poke fun at Obama; they poked fun at some of the more illogical reasons for supporting or not supporting him. I think many of those that are offended by this piece of political satire (the song) are simply uncomfortable with discovering that their own support for the man may rooted in something pretty shallow.
If you have ever heard Shanklin, you would know that his songs are only satire. He's great and had some really good ones on Bill Clinton. Everyone should hear his songs before making too much judgement on this. If he's bad, then every talk show host is really in deep trouble! They carry it much further than Shanklin.
...what the hell... Wow, that's just wrong.