Gag-worthy: Bipartisan indignance over “Barack the Magic Negro” parody
Oh, give me a super-sized break.
Leftie ’60s leftover/songwriter Peter Yarrow at the Huffington Post fumes over the “Barack the Magic Negro” parody that has RNC candidate Chip Saltsman in hot water.
All of sudden — after eight years of “F**k Bush” bumper stickers and “Kill Bush” assassination chic and Bush-or-Chimp parodies — the left is concerned about insulting the office of the Presidency?
Now, they are concerned with protecting the dignity of the office and with forging “commong ground and mutual respect?”:
The sending of a Christmas greeting by Chip Saltsman to the members of the Republican National Committee that includes a recording of the so-called parody, “Barack the Magic Negro” is not only offensive, it is shocking and saddening in the extreme. It flies in the face of America’s deeply held hope for a new era in which common ground and mutual respect characterize the exchanges between our national leaders.
I and my co-writer of “Puff,” Lenny Lipton, have been eagerly awaiting an end to the mean-spiritedness, outright disrespect and bigotry that was commonplace prior to this last presidential election. What might have been wearily accepted as “the way it was” in the campaign, is now unacceptable. Obama is not a candidate. He is the President-Elect, and this song insults the office of the Presidency, the people who voted for him, as well as those who did not — and taking a children’s song and twisting it in such vulgar, mean-spirited way, is a slur to our entire country and our common agreement to move beyond racism.
If the song “insults the office of the Presidency,” what about the 2007 Los Angeles Times op-ed by David Ehrenstein that inspired the parody in the first place?
AS EVERY CARBON-BASED life form on this planet surely knows, Barack Obama, the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, is running for president. Since making his announcement, there has been no end of commentary about him in all quarters — musing over his charisma and the prospect he offers of being the first African American to be elected to the White House.
But it’s clear that Obama also is running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination — the “Magic Negro.”
The Magic Negro is 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. “He has no past, he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist,” reads the description on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Negro .
He’s there to assuage white “guilt” (i.e., the minimal discomfort they feel) over the role of slavery and racial segregation in American history, while replacing stereotypes of a dangerous, highly sexualized black man with a benign figure for whom interracial sexual congress holds no interest…
…Obama’s fame right now has little to do with his political record or what he’s written in his two (count ‘em) books, or even what he’s actually said in those stem-winders. It’s the way he’s said it that counts the most. It’s his manner, which, as presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Biden ham-fistedly reminded us, is “articulate.” His tone is always genial, his voice warm and unthreatening, and he hasn’t called his opponents names (despite being baited by the media).
Like a comic-book superhero, Obama is there to help, out of the sheer goodness of a heart we need not know or understand. For as with all Magic Negroes, the less real he seems, the more desirable he becomes. If he were real, white America couldn’t project all its fantasies of curative black benevolence on him.
The hysterical rush to protect magical Obama from ridicule only proves Ehrenstein’s point. And the parody is as much, if not more, a satire of race-mongering demagogue Al Sharpton than it is of Obama:
As much as I am nauseated by the left’s reaction, the overreaction of some on the right is even more gag-worthy. Current RNC chair Mike Duncan professes to be “shocked” and “appalled.” Others are assailing Saltsman’s lack of “sensitivity” and “tone-deafness” in sending out a joke CD by his good friend Paul Shanklin. Still others argue that even though the parody is not racist and is totally defensible, it’s just too much work to defend it.
If that’s the kind of GOP “leadership” we’re in for the next four years, it’s going to a long, long four years.
***
Stacy McCain shakes his head at the ritual denunciation.
JWF: Child Molester Reacts in Horror to ‘Barack the Magic Negro’
***
Quick reminder of how liberals respected the dignity of the office of the presidency over the last eight years:
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- Public Secrets
- Official Barack H. Obama Birth Certificate Is Finally Found! | Stuck On Stupid
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- The question is; What is Racist? | Political Byline
- Chip The Magic Bubba | America Needs Me
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- Negore Please! What’s the fuss about “Barack The Magic Negro” : P.U.M.A
- Liberal Double Standard: Getting One’s Panties In A Wad « Jane Q. Republican
- McConnell to Obama: “Slow Your Role” « JoHNBRoDiGaNDoTCoM
- McConnell to Obama: “Slow Your Role” « JoHNBRoDiGaNDoTCoM
- McConnell to Obama: “Slow Your Role” « JoHNBRoDiGaNDoTCoM
- McConnell to Obama: “Slow Your Role” « JoHNBRoDiGaNDoTCoM
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- Sister Toldjah
- Murders among black youths on rise (WHY?) « Goodtimepolitics
- Bipartisan outrage? Why? « America, You Asked For It!
- Barack the Magic Negro « Truth, Lies and In Between
- Michelle Malkin: Gag-worthy: Bipartisan indignance over “Barack the Magic Negro” parody | Impeach Barack Hussein Obama.US Blogs
- Rush Limbaugh wrote ‘Magic Negro’ Parody « his vorpal sword
- Barack the magic Negro parody = bad - F**K Bush bumperstickers good! | Fire Andrea Mitchell!
- Barak The Magic Negro - Double Standard? - CrazyAmerica
- Conservatives Are Destroying the GOP | The Pink Flamingo
- links for 2008-12-30 | FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog
- Paul Shanklin And The Magic Negro « The Underground Conservative
- Barack The Magic Negro Helps Saltsman | BigMouthFrog
- Michelle Malkin: Magic Negro Lover
- Set a trap, liberals walk right into it « Right Minded Online
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Thank God I’m Lutheran!
People like me get parodied all the time. A little white-haired lady who can barely see above the steering wheel, driving 45 mph down the freeway with my left turn blinker on. I am actually a very good driver and I just laugh at the jokes. It’s called a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at ones self. Sure makes life a lot more pleasant!
On December 29th, 2008 at 6:49 pm, John Deaux said:
The WORST kind of all
, yes we are being over run by KalieyFornia Liberal Zombies. They come here to escape The Socialist Peoples Republic of KalieyFornia’s taxes and regulations and demand we provide the services that caused KalieyFornia to impose it’s taxes and regulations.
We have sprayed, put out bait traps and leg traps, but as in The Night of the Living Dead they keep coming. Then the KalieyFornia Liberal Zombies hire illegal aliens to cut their lawns. That is called EchoZombie. You can always tell when they have been here: your car is gone.
But to not suffer alone we are sending our Zombie Mistress of the Night, J-No, aka: Governor Janet Napolitano, to Home Land Security.
We are doomed!
Night of the Living Dead 2009-10-11-12
happyscrapper
God bless you! I think I love ya!
These moonbats only have a sense of humor when it makes our side look bad
You all forget, an office occupied by a Democrat is automatically above criticism – they’re just trying to do what’s best, after all. But those guldurn ReTHUGlicans are evil and KKK rednecks, lets have a deRepublicanization just like we had a deNazification!
/moonbat
Sadly, I have seen variations of those comments many, many times.
Thanks David! I need all the blessings I can get! It looks like we are two conservatives in the vast wasteland of liberal Minnesota. It can get lonely, cant’ it? I do have some great conservative friends and, thank God, my husband is conservative. But I am surrounded by moonbats and ZOMBIES. I hope you have a good support system too!!
Possibly because he didn’t write the original version of that.
Al Sharpton. The bullhorn is a dead giveaway.
Speaking of zombies…
…congrats to Bristol Palin on the birth of her new son. May everyone leave them both the hell alone.
(Okay, that had nothing to do with zombies, but you know how I always try to stay on topic.)
Oh. I once ran smack dab into Al Sharpton in the Bronx once and was roughly pushed aside by his men.
He had much longer curls back then. And a flowing purple robe thingy.
I would rather say: Barack the Magic Hero.
Obama is the BEST President this country has ever elected. On the opposite side Bush is definitely the worst President this country has ever [s]elected. Bush has destroyed this country and the sad thing is that he is too dumb and retarded to even realize it.
You’re OK unless you get between him and a TV camera.
That is EXACTLY what happened, actually. I was staring at the camera wondering what it was filming and BAM.
happyscrapper
thanks for your thoughts.
No, I’m surrounded, not only by neighbors, but family as well who are moonbats and zombies. Funny thing is…. I’m not afraid…..we will prevail… even in Minnesota…… they need us… doncha know?
Wrong board. The Koz Kidz are meeting down the hall. Second door on the right.
Journalism school. MM’s opinion pieces have all the intelligence and insight of a second-grader scribbling with a crayon.
edelweiss…. you keep that deluded thought process in shape…. we need blind followers to laugh at…… the treasure chest is full folks…. rather than mourn, let’s revel in the next 4 years. I suspect it will be two years pending resignation or impeachment.
Now see, here everybody’s getting along OK and you have to go and drop one of your nasty little stinkbombs.
Did you just purposely ignore the rest of that post or was it an accident?
chapoutier said:
…congrats to Bristol Palin on the birth of her new son.
Yes, let’s celebrate the birth of another illegitimate child born to unwed, teenage, high school drop out parents. At least they’re not drug addicts, unless you toss the baby daddy’s mother into the mix.
Looking forward to some real family values come January 20th.
Wow.
You pretty much suck dude.
I didn’t ignore it, it didn’t seem relevant to the point, which was apparently to insult a non-political teenager and/or a newborn baby because you disagree politically with her mother. If you had left out the zombie part, no insult would have been assumed.
Now on this point, we’re in complete agreement.
The zombie part was obviously a joke about the course this thread had taken, which I clearly pointed out when i said the post obviously had nothing to do with zombies.
Whatever.
LOL! Well said! I couldn’t agree more with you.
To quote somebody or other, if you have to explain a joke, it ain’t funny. Neverrrr mind!
Which brings up another point. It’s easy on a message board to misunderstand a post, or to assume or imagine emotion or intent that isn’t necessarily there. Happens to all of us.
And this sort of crap is liberal family values? Thanks for showing us what sort of classless a$$h0les liberals really are (excepting chap it seems) The couple in question are engaged to be married.
Based on?????
The guy hasn’t even been sworn in and you are claiming he is the best president ever???? WACKO
I am not surprised at the RNC PC driven response (crap). After all the ‘titular” head of the party set the tone at the beginning of the Presidential Campaign when he (McCain) threw a moronic hissy fit and chastised his campaign staff about the use of BO’s middle name. This a result of a comedian’s use of the name at a warm up session for a McCain campaign stop.
Quite frankly, I believe the campaign effectively ended right there. There is nowhere to go from there, “this guy is Off Limits folks” get used to it.
You ain’t seen nuttin yet, wait till this clown is actually resident at 1600 PA Ave. From south Chicago, crotch displaying, middle finger yielding, PUNK to the White House on the coattails of a slavering, imbecilic MSM and an equally unthinking electorate. We’ve got him now for better or worse.
God Help us and our wonderful nation.
PC is Thought Control
LEE
From Sen. John McCain who worships Sen. John McCain I expect no more. From Liberals who worship Bill Maher I expect no more. For the rest of us I hope we do not go that far. Michelle Obama decided to make her self a public person beyond a First Lady so she is in play. But children must not be. We are not Romans or European Royalty who exterminated entire families to protect their position.
Or as I am sure your father taught you-don’t be a punk.
No matter how it turns out, that’s the story you’re sticking too, right?
You mean like Obama?
Sorry, I would prefer my children being “punished” with the child, just as Bristol Palin and Obama’s mother were.
The whole story is the press trying to label the Republican party as racist. We have 4 years of the race card being pulled at least once a month.
OFF TOPIC have you seen what that Idiot Arlen Specter is upto?
http://thecitytroll.blogspot.com/2008/12/why-is-this-idiot-even-over-there.html
Not to change the subject, but I wonder what he uses to shine his head?
Bleomycin
Doxorubicin
Etoposide
Mechlorethamine
Vinbalstine
Vincristine
Vinbalstine should be Vinblastine
Is LESS talking about himself again?
les said:
Oh, you must mean the “dump the baby in the soiled linens closet until it dies” family values.
Hangfire said: (#80)
His white grandmother who raised him was still alive back then. Now she is gone, so he can ignore the part of his ancestry that he has apparently always found distasteful and embarrassing: the white side of his family.
You have to admit, the reactions to Bristol’s pregnancy were quite different from the reactions to Jamie-Lynn Spears’ pregnancy in conservative circles.
One more thing, les, wasn’t “Family values” Obama himself conceived while his mom was an unwed teenager?
Pot calling the kettle black.
Mookie said:
I think that is a different situation. Look at Spears’ elder sibling. She is a mess, thus providing a pattern, which indicates a possible problem with the parenting.
By all appearances, the Palin’s family looks strong. Apart from this one error in judgment, the Palin family looks like a strong family unit.
We eventually found out, though, that Britney was mentally ill. And Jamie-Lynn had never been in any kind of trouble whatsoever until the pregnancy. Lots of conservatives threw the word “whore” around and the threads on Free Republic were absolutely brutal.
One of the things I like best about this blog is that when it starts to get off topic, chap goes into the theater of the absurd and sonofdy keeps right up. Thanks guys, you made my day.
There is nothing absurd about the impending zombie invasion.
Some day soon, there will be two types of people in this world:
Those that listened and heeded Chapoutier’s dire warnings.
And those that have had their brains eaten.
WHICH SIDE DO YOU WANT TO BE ON?
Hitting the sauce again chap?
Well it is a Monday night, isn’t it?
I’ll let it go this time, but for the sake of this blog, I simply cannot allow such egregious errors to go unpunished in the future.
With all due respect to all those who think it was a mistake for Saltsman to give out this CD, how long are you going to walk on eggshells and let the Dems dictate what we can do and say? This was a CD with over 40 songs on it, and this is an old story that the left has whipped up again. It first hit when Rush first played it on his show, right after the Ehrenstein article. Yeah, you might have to explain that it’s satire but explain it (and educate the ignorant masses instead of pandering to them), don’t apologize for it.
We cannot try to play by the left’s rules and try to keep them from being outraged over anything because they will find something regardless of what we do. All it does is keep us under their control. We need to play by our own rules and if we want to have satirical humor, then we should, and be damned what they think. It’s up to us to stand up and have a spine, and we will never be able to do that playing by their rules.
“Tripp”. WTF is it with these trailer park names? Is everybody in this family named after a NASCAR driver or something?
Yes, let’s celebrate the birth of another illegitimate child born to unwed, teenage, high school drop out parents. At least they’re not drug addicts, unless you toss the baby daddy’s mother into the mix.
Looking forward to some real family values come January 20th.
So essentially you are saying that abortion is a family value? Try checking out some pictures of aborted fetuses (unborn children) and tell me where the family values are in that. BTW…Out-of-wedlock babies born to black women are in the 70% range so would you advocate that black women should be forced to have birth control? Probably not because that would be anti-choice yet I doubt you have ever protested the forced abortions in China.
Do you tell black teenage mothers that their child is nothing to celebrate? Do you tell them that they should be ashamed because their child has a good chance of going to jail because liberals like you celebrate the ghetto as some “truth to power” but never, ever want to acknowledge that the result of liberal ghetto glorification is a revolving door of poverty, drugs and jail? Of course not.
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan: “I’ve noticed that everyone that supports abortion has already been born.
…sigh…
Seriously eagle, les, edel…
You make it verrrrrry difficult to actually foster some real debate and civility here when you needlessly attack a 16 year old whose sole distinguishing factor from about a million other girls out there is that her mom is famous.
^^Caroline Kennedy, is that you??
Meant “eagle,” not you chapoutier
.
I want a BTMN T shirt, now.
I’m so ashamed. Add that to the fact that Georgetown didn’t graduate me and I’m beginning to feel like – well, a zombie…
chap,
You sure you aren’t conservative? Seems like we agree more than disagree…
Another example of the “tolerant” left.
Not sure why, but you reminded me of the joke:
You might be a redneck if…
You’ve ever used lard in bed.
Good Grief, why can’t the GOP get a grip and give B.H.Obama the same love and respect the Dems gave George H.W. Bush for 8 years? BTMN is a a great parody! One of Shanklin’s best.
just one more from the hypocrites, no surprises here..
How dare anyone criticize the Dear Leader
Fixed.
That is exactly right. Even more so how long are we going to allow the Marxist to dictate what is said and done in this country? Right now by & large the GOP in particular but even “conservatives” in general are reactionary and apologetic. Ef’um and the horse they ride.
Working here Boss.
eaglehaslanded said:
Yeah, really.
Naming your child Hussein, like Saddam Hussein, or Obama, which sounds like Osama bin Laden, are much better names…
Do liberals really want to get into the “name game?”
PEBO named his daughter after Borat. That’s better?
Both kids made dumb mistakes. My personal disgust was with Spear’s parents. Perhaps the Palin’s were just as guilty of being lax with supervision. But that particular problem was arguably more likely to be the case in Spear’s situation.
I for one will be in my bunker, ammo, food, pool table, kick ass dukebox, gallons of rum, and water stocked for the zombie invasion or a hell of a party. Whatever comes first.
” Barak the Magic Negro ” came out somewhere around March of 2007.It sure took the libs awhile to get upset about it. The condemnation by the RNC does not surprise me either. Whimps
And if they did name the next one Ricky-Bobby… so what?
Ever been in a double-wide? Some are very nice inside.
Not only that, some people that live in trailers do so because it’s what they can afford. That would make them significantly smarter than some idiot that bought an $800,000 McMansion with an exotic “Barney Frank” Adjustable rate loan and now can’t afford it and has to foreclose.
So… what’s the basis for your issue with people who live in trailers? Because, I believe they are doing just fine despite not getting your endorsement.
eagle is one of those elitists who look down their noses at everybody, yet admire public servants, despite their common-ness.
Touché, Trollman.
Pretty sure no one really knew who either of them were back in 1961.
I’d hazard a guess that names like Hussein and Obama have been given by like-minded folks to their children for generations.
I’d hazard a guess he wasn’t GIVEN the name Obama, in any case.
As OReilly said last night, those pics were taken on purpose, if a papparazi can get that close, a sniper could also. So why are him and/or his handlers wanting photos like that out there.
And also, can we say man-boobs.
There is a big difference between making something happen on purpose and allowing something to happen.
Ok, where is the real chap, and what have you done with him?
Never be unprepared when it comes to Zombie invasions. But as for a weapons choice, the AR-15 is ok. Definitely better than a shotgun… and why oh why do people go with PUMP shotguns when semi-autos are readily available? And Why the hell are they pumping it just before they have to fire it? Shotgun Pump sounds don;t scare Zombies. It will only alert more to your presence. They should already have a shell chambered and a full magazine? Sheesh…
But as for weapons choice.. I’m thinking G36 or perhaps a smaller P90. Zombies tend to swarm like you said. So the ability to swing your weapon around easily could be vital.
My bad. I forgot his mother had a CHOICE whom to marry.
Peter Yarrow should listen to his best bud, John Kerry. Kerry was a major player in giving us The One. Kerry believes Obama has magical skin-based power. When asked what gave Obama special powers to deal with present world problems, Kerry said, “Because he’s African-American. Because he’s a black man. Who has come from a place of oppression and repression through the years in our own country.”
chapoutier said:
And that would be a moot point.
You have a liberal making fun of the names of people in conservative families, while supporting a guy who is named Barack Hussein Obama.
Getting back to Britney Spears – claiming she is mentally ill, well I would not be surprised. Living certain kinds of lifestyles is not conducive to mental health. I don’t know her family situation, but when you have not one but two kids go down the wrong path, it does increase the likelihood that there is a family/parental problem.
Personally, I can’t imagine encouraging my child to get involved in the music and showbiz industry.
@260 Just give me an AK-47, good penitration, good spread for a CGB situation, and it doesn’t need much in the way of maintance, the M-16 and P-90 both do and in any form of conflict if you don’t have a ready supply of spares, the M-16 makes a bad club. The AK when out of Ammo is a good club.
And Les I really am sick of these double standards, I am sick of this choice talk, I am sick of the concern with money many in this nation have. I am sick of us supporting some nations, in all I have tried the political proscess of this country and it fails. We are no longer the Republic but the Democracy. I could go on and on but none of you listen to me or pay attention. Actions are better than words however.
First, I think it is dumb to criticize the name “Tripp”.
But comparing that to someone whose middle name is a very common name in the region of the world his father came from, and which could not possibly have the sort of negative connontation that MtsEdge seeks to give it until many years later, and someone whose last name (which one has little choice in) just happens to have a kinda similar spelling to a name, derived from a totally different language mind you, that again would not have any negative connontation for many years after it was bestowed, is even dumber.
Actually, this whole argument is dumb.
Wasn’t that the theme of an old Brady Bunch episode?
That’s just what the liberals want. That’s why they keep going OT with talk of baby names.
Focus on the Zombies.
I’m sure you do think it’s dumb that Muslims are taught from an early age to HATE “infidels”…really has nothing to do with Saddam or Barack Sr’s names, just what they represent.
Do we discuss the naming of Tripp vs mass zombie attacks…..
So how do you feel about mini guns on bunched zombies vs mrls strikes???
No no. It was a very special Punky Brewster. Or maybe it was My Sister Sam.
I prefer the exploding propane tank myself, but a mini gun firing is a thing of beauty and awe inspiring.