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Monday, May 07, 2007

Barack Obama This Brotha is Not Magic!

Recently, David Ehrenstein, a Los Angeles Times reporter wrote in his column about presidential candidate Barack Obama calling him the "Magic Negro". About a week later syndicated radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, formerly addicted to prescription drugs, aired on his program a parody by someone by the name of Paul Shanlin as he played the role of the Reverend Al Sharpton singing a complaint, to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon", about Obama.

Ehrenstein writes of the mythical persona the fantasy black man in the minds of many whites as the "uniter not a divider". He speaks of the idea that since announcing his candidacy for the highest office in the land, Obama is portrayed in themedia as saviour who simply appears to help white folk. There is no confirmation of his autheticity as a black man. This is what contributes to the perception tha he is indeed magic.

Barack Obama is not magic. We point to the fact he is as human as any of us. Witness his admission of being a smoker, who has since given up the habit. He had deliquentg parking tickets, but he paid them. Who among us can not relate to that? He is subject to the same frailties as every other human on the planet.

During his cross country speaking engagements Obama is always warm, affable and just plain very likeable; unlike Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson or some other people who've been presidential candidates and just happen to be black. Their militancy no matter how minimal is offensive to many whites who do not care to be reminded that sometime ago black people were enslaved in this country.

We like him even though we do not clearly know what his agenda is. This is something that bode very well for the incumbant president prior to his selection to office.

This "Magic Negro" thing has been promoted in film since the 1950s when Sidney Poitier was about the only black actor acceptable to box office audiences in a leading role.

The fact his father is a black African makes him more authentic than those people whom others would suggest are more authentic than Obama.

Gentlemen, we would suggest you, in the words of that "can we talk" comedienne, Joan Rivers...GROW UP! In reality there is no such person as a "Magic Negro". There are competent Negroes. There are intelligent educated Negroes. There are hardworking Negroes. There are successful Negroes in business, science/technology, education, sports and entertainment; but only in the fatasyland of the mind of the white bigot is there a "Magic Negro".


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