There are several videos of this around the Interwebitubes with an assortment of images attached. This one is up on YouTube. A more inflammatory version can be found on AlterNet.
On March 19, 2007, David Ehrenstein of the LA Times wrote a column about Hollywood and politics. The headline of his column: “Obama, the ‘Magic Negro.'” Then on March 21, 2007 the Rush Limbaugh show aired a parody produced by Paul Shanklin, imitating the Rev. Al Sharpton singing, “Barack The Magic Negro.”
Rush is still on the air and Imus isn’t. How odd.
Mr. Dvorak, I normally agree with you. I am, however, severely disappointed at your lack of research on this one. Limbaugh predicted that that people would do EXACTLY what you did in response to the song.
***Latching onto L.A. Times Op-Ed, Limbaugh Sings “Barack, the Magic Negro”***
From Media Matters for America, March 22, 2007
On the March 19 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, host Rush Limbaugh highlighted a March 19 Los Angeles Times op-ed that described Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) as “running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination — the ‘Magic Negro’” — a term used by critics of pop culture to describe certain benevolent African-American characters.
Limbaugh stated: “The term ‘Magic Negro’ has been thrown into the political presidential race in the mix for 2008. And the term ‘Magic Negro,’ as applied to Barack Obama has been done by an L.A. Times columnist, David Ehrenstein.”
Limbaugh later asserted: “I’m going to keep referring to him as that because I want to make a bet that by the end of this week I will own that term,” adding, “If I refer to Obama the rest of the day as the ‘Magic Negro,’ there will be a number of people in the drive-by media and on left-wing blogs who will credit me for coming up with it and ignore the L.A. Times did it, simply because they can’t be critical of the L.A. Times, but they can, obviously, be critical of talk radio
You want to contact sponsors? Steer them to the LA Times and David Ehrenstein.
This isn’t racist at all, RTFA (or rather, Watch the $^#% Video)… it’s making fun of Al Sharpton, and is a satire of black leaders who claim Obama isn’t “black enough”, whatever the hell that means.
Some black leaders — not Republicans, blacks — have gone as far as to claim Obama is not really black at all, because he’s a first-generation American citizen and not descended from slaves.
That kind of stupidity deserves a mocking song such as this.
Sorry for the triple post… #25, The One:
Magical Negro is a literary term that a liberal L.A. Times columnist used to describe Obama. That is what the song is about…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Negro
Mark,
by posting this article on his site dvorak is promoting it. He poses a question in his blog post about Imus and he being in media business knows why rush could go off and say the N word all day long and not be canned.
Just like any other time Dvorak is not happy unless is is a stirring up a fight with rabid fans. Be it Rush , Apple , or other.
Rush and his ilk are on notice.The powers that be showed Rush, Hannity and the rest what they can do to someone.I think the boys will back off for 2008.
#30, 32, 35: Where do you see John’s name on this post? I’m responsible for posting it. I guess the multitude of big news organizations that reported this as well did so only because they wanted to “promote it” and “stir up a fight.”
And rob, I suggest you leave the decision of the direction of this blog to John and the rest of us editors until you get your own blog read world-wide by many tens of thousands each day who don’t seem to have a problem with a “stupid post” like this one. Just my stupid opinion, of course.
i’m with #12, #33 & 34
-other than that.. its a non-issue. i failed to find find anything inflammatory, or more inflammatory with the alternative version ether. i think it’s just another silly political parody song, big deal. its a little funny because like all “proper” humour, it’s based in truth.
Imus should not have been fired, neither should Rush… if anyone had played the whole Imus thing in full, you would have found that Imus was actually trying to pay a compliment to the team -he was trying to be cool,..-however -he forgot that only blacks and “boys in the hood” are allowed to use racial slurs towards each other.
if you think about it..kids today have the right idea, they have diffused the word nigger and made it meaningless as a racial slur. they turned it around and made it a term of endearment for the most part..
It’s only the media and those seeking political gain who desperately want it to keep its “nuclear power” as a slur. -without it, they have little left in their arsenal to attack with.
The BIGGEST mistake that was made was firing Imus, because now it’s open season on all media people.. -now any group that doesnt like what some media or radio personality says has precedent to get them fired.
i mean really..are we that thinned skinned these days?
-what ever happen to the kindergarten adage: “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never harm me”?
if i didn’t no better, i’d think i was in Bizarro land.-this is all stuff that 5yr olds might cry about, not us “adults”. all of this stuff is pathetic, especially the term and idea political correctness.
-lighten up people. and for christ sake, grow up already.
-soundwash
Do you think Rush Limbaugh has even met a black person before?
#32 –
LA Times : circulation area Los Angels, CA
Rush Limbaugh : coverage area National Radio
Of course more people thought he originated it.
If you think that Rush listeners are bigots, then you are the ignorant misguided fool. Listen to the program and you’ll see what I mean. Jerk.
Sadly, after reading most of these comments, It seems Rush was correct! After reading on air and discussing the L.A. times op-ed (which was printed and on the internet) which called Obama the “Magic Negro” Limbaugh has become the focus of the attention/heat for the labeling as if he coined it. Where is our outrage that the L.A. Times is saying Obama isn’t “black enough” and and all the “whites” who support him are doing it because we’re “racist”? The whole point of Limbaugh’s treatment of this op-ed piece and the larger implication of it, seems accurate, Ehrenstein and the
L. A. “Slimes” gets a free pass for being racist toward both Obama and his caucasian supporters and Limbaugh becomes demonized for discussing it in public! While I’m not a big fan of Rush, he seems to have this one figured out. Damn, I hate when that happens!
#26, obviously you have absolutely no black friends, if you do, go ahead and try to introduce them to someone you know as your “negro” friend and see what happens. If you have any ass left let me know. As for me, I have black friends and this really isn’t an issue. We tend to introduce each other by our first names. The other thing is I don’t care about this stupidity. It’s about as funny as a pie to the face. What was personal about a publicly known drug addicted talk show host. Fool.
Rush is always target for consistent echo of someone else’s Gab, like the LA Times………but then if anyone never listened to show except by the way of You tube ……..what can anyone expect ………It’s funny hahahhahahaha
can i say NAACP—ok to say “colored people”????
“Negro” is bad?? HUH?? It was the LA (liberal assoc.) Times that ran the headline and the “N” term is used repeatedly everywhere in the black community but that’s ok???
GROW UP, LAUGH AT HIM AND YOURSELF, AND RELAX….THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD NOR WAS IMUS.
“YOU PEOPLE” ARE NUTS !!!
Is this the blog of the same John Dvorak of the famed PC Mag days!
lol…didn’t realize what a liberal weenie he is…..what a bloke.
It is a parody of Al Sharpton and there is nothing racist about it.
While many of you don’t get it Barack Obama did and did not think it racist… but hey what would he know.
Discriminatory bashing of Obama as a phony black candidate and as a “Magic Negro” = LA Times
Song pointing out the racism of the LA Times combined with bashing of Al Sharpton = Rush Limbaugh
Despicable racist imagery, KKK robes, the words “screw Obama” = added by liberal blogger trying to falsely pass it off as something Rush Limbaugh put together, even though no video of any kind ever appeared on Rush’s or Paul Shankland’s website combined with the song.
Under these terms it must be essential to censor Martin Luther King, Jr. – the “I Have a Dream” speech is just filled with the “N” word certain people in today’s society must now equate with hate speech.
The first thing to realise that Rush’s primary target is the liberal MEDIA – not Obama.
The statements made in the parody song are all quotations or paraphrases of statements made by liberal democrats.
Other than the facts that Obama is an inexperienced liberal Democrat, I don’t think you can find any specific comments made BY RUSH denigrating Obama. Sharpton and Jackson are far more racist than Rush will ever be, and have made many more inflammatory comments against Obama
If Rush is a racist, why does he often permit Dr. Walter E. Williams (who is black) to host his program when he is away? Dr. Williams is one of the more popular hosts! What does that say about Rush’s listeners?
The issue of racism is now much less one of skin color than of culture. Much of today’s ‘black’ culture is self destructive. If everyone suddenly became the same color, how do you think that would affect attitudes and behavior? Or if all non-black people vanished, would there be any change in the culture?
1) Dvorak is a reactionist moron.
2) So are most liberals.
3) Robco has the only logical and realistic comments here. Everyone else is just flaming. (Worse than I just did.)
4) Does the word ‘Parody’ mean nothing to you?
At least he did’nt say NIGGER!!!