Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Magical Negro

2007-10-05T08:01:08Z

72.75.65.41: /* External link */ template fix (date sanity check)

The '''magical negro''' (sometimes called the '''mystical negro''', '''magic negro''', or '''our Magical African-American Friend''') is a [[stock character]] who appears in fiction of a variety of media. The word ''[[negro]]'', now considered archaic and offensive, is used intentionally to claim that the archetype is a racist throwback, an update of the "[[Sambo (racial term)|Sambo]]" and "savage other" stereotypes.<ref>{{cite book|title=Race, Sex, and Suspicion: The Myth of the Black Male |first= D. Marvin | last = Jones |pages= p. 35 |location = [[Westport, Connecticut|Westport, Conn.]]| publisher=Praeger Publishers |year=2005 |isbn = 0275974626 | oclc = 56095393}}</ref> The term was popularized by [[Spike Lee]], who derided the [[archetype]] of the "super-duper magical negro"<ref name="blackcommentator">{{cite news | title= Too Too Divine: Movies' 'Magic Negro' Saves the Day - but at the Cost of His Soul | url= http://www.blackcommentator.com/49/49_magic.html | first = Rita | last = Kempley | date= [[2003-06-07]] | work = [[The Washington Post]]| accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> in 2001 while discussing films with students at [[Washington State University]]<ref name="strangehorizons">{{cite news |url= http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20041025/kinga.shtml |title= Stephen King's Super-Duper Magical Negroes |first= Nnedi | last = Okorafor-Mbachu | authorlink = Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu| work = Strange Horizons |date= [[2004-10-25]] | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> and at [[Yale University]].<ref name="SpikeLee">{{cite news | url = http://www.yale.edu/opa/v29.n21/story3.html | title = Director Spike Lee slams 'same old' black stereotypes in today's films | first = Susan | last = Gonzalez | work = Yale Bulletin & Calendar | publisher =[[Yale University]] | date = [[2001-03-02]] | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref>

==The Magical Negro in Fiction==
The magical negro is typically "in some way outwardly or inwardly disabled, either by discrimination, disability or social constraint," often a janitor or prisoner.<ref name="Hicks">{{cite journal|first=Heather J. |last = Hicks | journal = Camera Obscura | title= Hoodoo Economics: White Men's Work and Black Men's Magic in Contemporary American Film |publisher=Camera Obscura |volume=18 |issue=2 |date=[[2003-09-01]] |pages= 27-55 |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-24435280_ITM |accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref> He has no past; he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist.<ref name="ejumpcut">{{cite journal | url= http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/jc45.2002/colombe/ |title= White Hollywood’s new Black boogeyman |first= Audrey | last = Colombe | issue = 45 | work = Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media | month = October | year = 2002 | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> He is the black stereotype, "prone to criminality and laziness."<ref>{{cite book|title=Contemporary Patterns of Politics, Praxis, and Culture | first = Georgia Anne | last = Persons |pages= p. 137 | location = [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick, NJ]] | publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=2005 |isbn = 141280468X | oclc = 56510401 }}</ref> To counterbalance this, he has some sort of magical power, "rather vaguely defined but not the sort of thing one typically encounters."<ref name="ejumpcut" /> He is patient and wise, often dispensing various words of wisdom, and is "closer to the earth."<ref name="strangehorizons" />

The magical negro serves as a plot device to help the protagonist get out of trouble, typically through helping the white character recognize his own faults and overcome them.<ref name="strangehorizons" /> In this way, the magical negro is similar to the [[Deus ex machina]]; a simple way for the protagonist to overcome an obstacle almost entirely through outside help. Although he has magical powers, his "magic is ostensibly directed toward helping and enlightening a white male character."<ref name="Hicks" /> It is this feature of the magical negro that some people find most troubling. Although the character seems to be showing African-Americans in a positive light, he is still ultimately subordinate to whites. He is also regarded as an exception, allowing white America to "like individual black people but not black culture."<ref>{{cite book|title=Black Magic: White Hollywood and African American Culture | first = Krin | last = Gabbard |pages=p. 173 | location = [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick, NJ]] | publisher=Rutgers University Press |year= 2004|isbn = 081353383X | oclc = 53215708}}</ref>

To save the white protagonist, however, he would do anything, including sacrificing himself, as [[Sidney Poitier]] portrays in ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'', the prototypical magical negro movie.<ref name="strangehorizons" /> Note that Poitier's character is also saved by the white protagonist.

==Examples== 

Examples of magical negroes as published by social commentators include:

*[[Uncle Remus]] ([[James Baskett]]) in the film ''[[Song of the South]]'' ([[1946]]) <ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.patrickkillough.com/ethics/brer_rabbit.html |title=BRER RABBIT SEZ, SEZEE: THE WISDOM OF JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS |first=Patrick |last=Killough |date=1997-12-09 |accessdate=2007-05-16}}</ref>
*Noah Cullen ([[Sidney Poitier]]) in the film ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'' ([[1958 in film|1958]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" />
*The magical negro is a recurring archetype in novels by author [[Stephen King]]:
:*Dick Hallorann in ''[[The Shining (novel)|The Shining]]'' (1977), and in both the [[The Shining (film)|1980 film adaptation]] ([[Scatman Crothers]]) and the [[The Shining (mini-series)|1997 TV miniseries]] ([[Melvin Van Peebles]])<ref name="strangehorizons" />
:*Mother Abagail in ''[[The Stand]]'' (1978), and the [[The Stand (TV miniseries)|1994 TV adaptation]] ([[Ruby Dee]])<ref name="strangehorizons" />
:*John Coffey in ''[[The Green Mile (book)|The Green Mile]]'' (1996), and the [[The Green Mile (film)|1999 film adaptation]] ([[Michael Clarke Duncan]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" /><ref name="ejumpcut" />
*Oda Mae Brown ([[Whoopi Goldberg]]) in the film ''[[Ghost (film)|Ghost]]'' ([[1990 in film|1990]])<ref name="blackcommentator" />
*Cash ([[Don Cheadle]]) in the film ''[[The Family Man]]'' ([[2000 in film|2000]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="SpikeLee" /><ref name="ejumpcut" />
*Bagger Vance ([[Will Smith]]) in the film ''[[The Legend of Bagger Vance]]'' ([[2000 in film|2000]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" /><ref name="SpikeLee" /><ref name="ejumpcut" /><ref>{{cite news||title=That Old Black Magic |date= [[2000-05-27]] | first = Christopher John | last = Farley | authorlink = Christopher John Farley |work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998604,00.html |accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref>
*Gloria Dump ([[Cicely Tyson]]) in the film ''[[Because of Winn-Dixie (film)|Because of Winn-Dixie]]'' ([[2005 in film|2005]])<ref name='charlotteObs'>{{cite news | first=Gary | last=Thompson | coauthors= | title='Winn-Dixie' Gets No Place Fast | date=[[2005-02-18]] | publisher=[[Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC]] | url =http://ae.charlotte.com/entertainment/ui/charlotte/movie.html;jsessionid=2738A0AB6137F17664C1590346E175C7.prodapp14_ae_02?id=241836&reviewId=17357 | work =[[The Philadelphia Daily News]] | pages = | accessdate = 2007-07-21 | language = }}</ref>


Note, however, that black characters with apparent supernatural powers who are portrayed as independent, who have a level of power roughly equivalent to that of other characters, and who are not subservient to whites — such as [[Mace Windu]] ([[Samuel L. Jackson]]) in ''[[Star Wars]]'', [[Morpheus (Matrix character)|Morpheus]] ([[Laurence Fishburne]]) in [[The Matrix series|the ''Matrix'' series]], and [[Storm (Marvel Comics)|Storm]] ([[Halle Berry]]) in ''[[X-Men (film)|the X-Men]]'' — are not usually considered weakened magical negroes; nor are helpful non-white characters without some magical or fantastical element.<ref name="blackcommentator" />

However, the common repetitive trend remains — that all these non-white characters are still not the main protagonists (heroes) in their storylines. Hence, the definition of the magical negro may also include non-white protagonists who continue to be teamed up with a white hero as well. The concern is that the magical negro may still be covertly used as a subordinate character to white protagonists. Even though they may play a central figure in a storyline, they are portrayed as being unable to solve challenges without the involvement of a white associate.<ref name="blackcommentator" />

Several commentators perceive [[Morgan Freeman]]'s portrayal of [[God]] in ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'' and ''[[Evan Almighty]]'' as an example of the magical negro [[archetype]].<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref>{{cite news |title= Just Say Noah |date= [[2007-06-22]] |first= David |last= Plotz |work= [[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |url= http://www.slate.com/id/2168886/ |accessdate= 2007-06-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Inventory: 13 Movies featuring magical black men |date= [[2007-03-04]] |first= |last= |work= [[The Onion A.V. Club]] |url= http://www.avclub.com/content/node/59258 |accessdate= 2007-08-11}} </ref> However, since God is not a [[fictional character|character]] created by the author and has neither race nor gender, a person of any race or gender could also be selected to perform the role, like [[Alanis Morissette]] in ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]'' (although one commentator asserts that "[[Chris Rock]]’s Thirteenth Apostle in ''Dogma'' is one example."<ref name="ejumpcut" />)

==Barack Obama==
On [[March 19]], [[2007]], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' columnist [[David Ehrenstein]] wrote: "But it's clear that [[Barack Obama|Obama]] also is running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination—the 'Magic Negro.'"<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail| last = Ehrenstein | first = David | authorlink = David Ehrenstein |title = Obama the 'Magic Negro' | publisher = [[Los Angeles Times]] | date= 2007-03-19| accessdate = 2007-03-30}}</ref> Ehrenstein, himself an African-American, detailed the reasons he believes Obama fits the template in his opinion column. The column received world-wide attention and discussion, especially in the news media and in [[talk radio]]. [[Rush Limbaugh]] aired a song parody called [http://mfile.akamai.com/5020/wma/rushlimb.download.akamai.com/5020/New/barackthemagicnegro.asx "Barack, the Magic Negro"], sung by [[Paul Shanklin]] impersonating [[Al Sharpton]] and based on the [[Peter, Paul, and Mary]] song "[[Puff, the Magic Dragon]]". Limbaugh also referred to the 2008 presidential candidate as the "magic negro" several times during his radio broadcast, each time prefacing the reference by explaining that the title came from Ehrenstein and/or the LA Times.

==See also==
*[[Noble savage]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{cite web |url= http://www.avclub.com/content/node/59258 |title= Inventory: 13 Movies featuring magical black men |date=2007-03-04 |author= Steven Hyden, Sean O'Neal |publisher=www.avclub.com |accessdate=2007-05-12}}
*{{cite web |url= http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/magic_negro/ |title= "magic Negro" definition from Double Tongued Dictionary |accessdate=2007-10-04}}

[[Category:Stock characters]]
[[Category:Fictional African-Americans]]

Cathay Williams

2007-10-03T03:05:26Z

72.75.65.41: /* References */ {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Cathy}}

{{Infobox Military Person
|name= Cathy Williams
|lived= [[1844]] - [[1892]]
|placeofbirth= [[Independence, Missouri]]
|placeofdeath= [[Trinidad, Colorado]]
|allegiance= [[United States|United States of America]]
|branch= [[United States Army]]
|serviceyears= 1866-1868
|rank= [[Private (rank)|Private]]
|unit= [[Buffalo Soldiers]]
}}
'''Cathy Williams''' ([[1844]] - [[1892]]) was the first recorded [[African American]] female to serve in the [[United States Army]].

== Early life ==

Williams was born in [[Independence, Missouri]] in September [[1844]]. Her mother was a slave, and her father a [[free people of color|free person of color]]. During her adolescence, Williams worked as a house slave on the Johnson Plantation on the outskirts of [[Jefferson City, Missouri]]. She was freed in [[1861]] when the Union forces occupied Jefferson City during the [[Civil War]]. However, at that time, freed slaves were officially designated by the Union as "contraband," and many were seized and forced to serve in military support roles (such as cooks, laundresses or nurses.) At age seventeen, Cathy Williams was [[impressment|impressed]] in this manner into the 8th Indiana volunteer infantry, commanded by Col. [[William Plummer Benton]].

== Civil War experiences ==

For the next several years, Williams travelled alongside the infantry, accompanying the soldiers on their marches throughout Arkansas, Louisiana and Georgia. She was present at the [[Battle of Pea Ridge]] and the [[Red River Campaign]]. At one time she was transferred to Little Rock, where she would have seen uniformed African-American men serving as soldiers in the military, a sight that may have inspired her interest in military service. At another time, Williams was transferred to Washington, D.C., where she served as a part of [[Philip Sheridan|General Philip Sheridan]]'s command. When the war finally ended, Williams was stationed at [[Jefferson Barracks Military Post|Jefferson Barracks]].

== Military service ==

On [[November 15]], [[1866]], Cathy Williams decided to enlist, and joined up with the United States Regular Army in [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. Being relatively tall (5'9") and physically tough after many years of forced marches and hard physical labor, Williams apparently had no problem passing a cursory physical exam. She initially signed on for a three-year tour of duty under the name "William Cathay."

Two other soldiers in her unit knew her secret. One was a cousin of Williams', and one was a "particular friend" who may have been a romantic interest. Neither man ever revealed Williams' true identity.

Shortly after "William Cathay" enlisted, she contracted smallpox. Inevitably, she had to be hospitalized, but managed to disguise her gender even from the military doctors. As quickly as possible, Williams rejoined her unit, which had been posted in [[New Mexico]].

Williams' enlistment lasted just under two years. Possibly due to the lingering effects of smallpox, the New Mexico heat or the cumulative effects of years of marching, her body began to show signs of strain, and she was frequently hospitalized. The post surgeon discovered her true gender and informed the post commander, who discharged her on [[October 14]], [[1868]].

== Post-war life ==

After her discharge, Cathy Williams worked as a cook at [[Fort Union, New Mexico]], then moved to [[Pueblo, Colorado]]. She was married for a time, but it ended badly when Williams' husband stole money and a team of horses from her, and she had him arrested. After this, she moved to [[Trinidad, Colorado]], and made her living as a seamstress. She may also have owned a boarding house. It was at this time that Williams' story first became public knowledge. A reporter from St. Louis heard rumors of a female African-American who had served in the military, and came to hear her story. A brief description of Williams' life and military service, told in her own words, was published in the St. Louis Daily Times on [[January 2]], [[1876]].

In late [[1889]] or early [[1890]], Williams entered a local hospital for an unrecorded illness and remained there for some time. In June 1891, she applied for a disability pension based on her military service.

There was precedent for granting pension pay to a female soldier. Both [[Deborah Sampson]] and Mary Hayes McCauley (better known as [[Molly Pitcher]]) had been granted pensions after disguising themselves as men to serve in the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Sampson's cause had been championed by none other than [[Paul Revere]]. However, Williams had no influential friends to intercede with her in Washington.

In September [[1891]], a doctor employed by the Pension Bureau examined Cathy Williams. Despite the fact that she suffered from [[neuralgia]] and [[diabetes]], all her toes had been amputated, and she could only walk with the aid of a crutch, the doctor determined that she did not qualify to receive disability payments. Her application was rejected.

Cathy Williams' exact date of death is unknown, but it is generally assumed that she died shortly after being denied her pension, sometime in [[1892]]. Her grave would have been marked with a wooden tombstone, and so her final resting place is also unknown.

==Sources==
* "Cathay Williams: From Slave to Female Buffalo Soldier" by Philip Thomas Tucker (2002)

== References ==

* {{cite web
| publisher = Stanford L. Davis, M.A.
| title = Female Buffalo Soldier- With Documents
| date = [[2006-06-25]]
| url = http://www.buffalosoldier.net/CathayWilliamsFemaleBuffaloSoldierWithDocuments.htm
| accessdate = 2007-07-30 }}

* {{cite web
| publisher = African-American News & Issues
| title = William Cathay
| date = [[2005-09-03]]
| url = http://www.aframnews.com/html/2003-03-26/lead3.htm
| accessdate = 2007-01-15 }}

{{Buffalo Soldiers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Cathy}}
[[Category:1844 births]]
[[Category:1892 deaths]]
[[Category:African-American history]]
[[Category:African Americans in the Civil War]]
[[Category:Female wartime crossdressers]]
[[Category:History of the American West]]
[[Category:Wars involving the indigenous peoples of North America]]
[[Category:Union Army soldiers]]
[[Category:People from Independence, Missouri]]
[[Category:People of Missouri in the American Civil War]]

Cathay Williams

2007-10-03T02:36:05Z

72.75.65.41: /* References */ added template {{Buffalo Soldiers}}

{{Infobox Military Person
|name= Cathy Williams
|lived= [[1844]] - [[1892]]
|placeofbirth= [[Independence, Missouri]]
|placeofdeath= [[Trinidad, Colorado]]
|allegiance= [[United States|United States of America]]
|branch= [[United States Army]]
|serviceyears= 1866-1868
|rank= [[Private (rank)|Private]]
|unit= [[Buffalo Soldiers]]
}}
'''Cathy Williams''' ([[1844]] - [[1892]]) was the first recorded [[African American]] female to serve in the [[United States Army]].

== Early life ==

Williams was born in [[Independence, Missouri]] in September [[1844]]. Her mother was a slave, and her father a [[free people of color|free person of color]]. During her adolescence, Williams worked as a house slave on the Johnson Plantation on the outskirts of [[Jefferson City, Missouri]]. She was freed in [[1861]] when the Union forces occupied Jefferson City during the [[Civil War]]. However, at that time, freed slaves were officially designated by the Union as "contraband," and many were seized and forced to serve in military support roles (such as cooks, laundresses or nurses.) At age seventeen, Cathy Williams was [[impressment|impressed]] in this manner into the 8th Indiana volunteer infantry, commanded by Col. [[William Plummer Benton]].

== Civil War experiences ==

For the next several years, Williams travelled alongside the infantry, accompanying the soldiers on their marches throughout Arkansas, Louisiana and Georgia. She was present at the [[Battle of Pea Ridge]] and the [[Red River Campaign]]. At one time she was transferred to Little Rock, where she would have seen uniformed African-American men serving as soldiers in the military, a sight that may have inspired her interest in military service. At another time, Williams was transferred to Washington, D.C., where she served as a part of [[Philip Sheridan|General Philip Sheridan]]'s command. When the war finally ended, Williams was stationed at [[Jefferson Barracks Military Post|Jefferson Barracks]].

== Military service ==

On [[November 15]], [[1866]], Cathy Williams decided to enlist, and joined up with the United States Regular Army in [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. Being relatively tall (5'9") and physically tough after many years of forced marches and hard physical labor, Williams apparently had no problem passing a cursory physical exam. She initially signed on for a three-year tour of duty under the name "William Cathay."

Two other soldiers in her unit knew her secret. One was a cousin of Williams', and one was a "particular friend" who may have been a romantic interest. Neither man ever revealed Williams' true identity.

Shortly after "William Cathay" enlisted, she contracted smallpox. Inevitably, she had to be hospitalized, but managed to disguise her gender even from the military doctors. As quickly as possible, Williams rejoined her unit, which had been posted in [[New Mexico]].

Williams' enlistment lasted just under two years. Possibly due to the lingering effects of smallpox, the New Mexico heat or the cumulative effects of years of marching, her body began to show signs of strain, and she was frequently hospitalized. The post surgeon discovered her true gender and informed the post commander, who discharged her on [[October 14]], [[1868]].

== Post-war life ==

After her discharge, Cathy Williams worked as a cook at [[Fort Union, New Mexico]], then moved to [[Pueblo, Colorado]]. She was married for a time, but it ended badly when Williams' husband stole money and a team of horses from her, and she had him arrested. After this, she moved to [[Trinidad, Colorado]], and made her living as a seamstress. She may also have owned a boarding house. It was at this time that Williams' story first became public knowledge. A reporter from St. Louis heard rumors of a female African-American who had served in the military, and came to hear her story. A brief description of Williams' life and military service, told in her own words, was published in the St. Louis Daily Times on [[January 2]], [[1876]].

In late [[1889]] or early [[1890]], Williams entered a local hospital for an unrecorded illness and remained there for some time. In June 1891, she applied for a disability pension based on her military service.

There was precedent for granting pension pay to a female soldier. Both [[Deborah Sampson]] and Mary Hayes McCauley (better known as [[Molly Pitcher]]) had been granted pensions after disguising themselves as men to serve in the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Sampson's cause had been championed by none other than [[Paul Revere]]. However, Williams had no influential friends to intercede with her in Washington.

In September [[1891]], a doctor employed by the Pension Bureau examined Cathy Williams. Despite the fact that she suffered from [[neuralgia]] and [[diabetes]], all her toes had been amputated, and she could only walk with the aid of a crutch, the doctor determined that she did not qualify to receive disability payments. Her application was rejected.

Cathy Williams' exact date of death is unknown, but it is generally assumed that she died shortly after being denied her pension, sometime in [[1892]]. Her grave would have been marked with a wooden tombstone, and so her final resting place is also unknown.

==Sources==
* "Cathay Williams: From Slave to Female Buffalo Soldier" by Philip Thomas Tucker (2002)

== References ==

* {{cite web
| publisher = Stanford L. Davis, M.A.
| title = Female Buffalo Soldier- With Documents
| date = [[2006-06-25]]
| url = http://www.buffalosoldier.net/CathayWilliamsFemaleBuffaloSoldierWithDocuments.htm
| accessdate = 2007-07-30 }}

* {{cite web
| publisher = African-American News & Issues
| title = William Cathay
| date = [[2005-09-03]]
| url = http://www.aframnews.com/html/2003-03-26/lead3.htm
| accessdate = 2007-01-15 }}

{{Buffalo Soldiers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cathy_Williams_(Buffalo Soldier)}}
[[Category:1844 births]]
[[Category:1892 deaths]]
[[Category:African-American history]]
[[Category:African Americans in the Civil War]]
[[Category:Female wartime crossdressers]]
[[Category:History of the American West]]
[[Category:Wars involving the indigenous peoples of North America]]
[[Category:Union Army soldiers]]
[[Category:People from Independence, Missouri]]
[[Category:People of Missouri in the American Civil War]]

Magical Negro

2007-10-02T11:36:03Z

72.75.65.41: Undid revision 161741753 by Kevyn (talk) see talk page ... neologism that needs a {{Cite episode}} tag

The '''magical negro''' (sometimes called the '''mystical negro''', '''magic negro''', or '''our Magical African-American Friend''') is a [[stock character]] who appears in fiction of a variety of media. The word ''[[negro]]'', now considered archaic and offensive, is used intentionally to claim that the archetype is a racist throwback, an update of the "[[Sambo (racial term)|Sambo]]" and "savage other" stereotypes.<ref>{{cite book|title=Race, Sex, and Suspicion: The Myth of the Black Male |first= D. Marvin | last = Jones |pages= p. 35 |location = [[Westport, Connecticut|Westport, Conn.]]| publisher=Praeger Publishers |year=2005 |isbn = 0275974626 | oclc = 56095393}}</ref> The term was popularized by [[Spike Lee]], who derided the [[archetype]] of the "super-duper magical negro"<ref name="blackcommentator">{{cite news | title= Too Too Divine: Movies' 'Magic Negro' Saves the Day - but at the Cost of His Soul | url= http://www.blackcommentator.com/49/49_magic.html | first = Rita | last = Kempley | date= [[2003-06-07]] | work = [[The Washington Post]]| accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> in 2001 while discussing films with students at [[Washington State University]]<ref name="strangehorizons">{{cite news |url= http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20041025/kinga.shtml |title= Stephen King's Super-Duper Magical Negroes |first= Nnedi | last = Okorafor-Mbachu | authorlink = Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu| work = Strange Horizons |date= [[2004-10-25]] | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> and at [[Yale University]].<ref name="SpikeLee">{{cite news | url = http://www.yale.edu/opa/v29.n21/story3.html | title = Director Spike Lee slams 'same old' black stereotypes in today's films | first = Susan | last = Gonzalez | work = Yale Bulletin & Calendar | publisher =[[Yale University]] | date = [[2001-03-02]] | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref>

==The Magical Negro in Fiction==
The magical negro is typically "in some way outwardly or inwardly disabled, either by discrimination, disability or social constraint," often a janitor or prisoner.<ref name="Hicks">{{cite journal|first=Heather J. |last = Hicks | journal = Camera Obscura | title= Hoodoo Economics: White Men's Work and Black Men's Magic in Contemporary American Film |publisher=Camera Obscura |volume=18 |issue=2 |date=[[2003-09-01]] |pages= 27-55 |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-24435280_ITM |accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref> He has no past; he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist.<ref name="ejumpcut">{{cite journal | url= http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/jc45.2002/colombe/ |title= White Hollywood’s new Black boogeyman |first= Audrey | last = Colombe | issue = 45 | work = Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media | month = October | year = 2002 | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> He is the black stereotype, "prone to criminality and laziness."<ref>{{cite book|title=Contemporary Patterns of Politics, Praxis, and Culture | first = Georgia Anne | last = Persons |pages= p. 137 | location = [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick, NJ]] | publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=2005 |isbn = 141280468X | oclc = 56510401 }}</ref> To counterbalance this, he has some sort of magical power, "rather vaguely defined but not the sort of thing one typically encounters."<ref name="ejumpcut" /> He is patient and wise, often dispensing various words of wisdom, and is "closer to the earth."<ref name="strangehorizons" />

The magical negro serves as a plot device to help the protagonist get out of trouble, typically through helping the white character recognize his own faults and overcome them.<ref name="strangehorizons" /> In this way, the magical negro is similar to the [[Deus ex machina]]; a simple way for the protagonist to overcome an obstacle almost entirely through outside help. Although he has magical powers, his "magic is ostensibly directed toward helping and enlightening a white male character."<ref name="Hicks" /> It is this feature of the magical negro that some people find most troubling. Although the character seems to be showing African-Americans in a positive light, he is still ultimately subordinate to whites. He is also regarded as an exception, allowing white America to "like individual black people but not black culture."<ref>{{cite book|title=Black Magic: White Hollywood and African American Culture | first = Krin | last = Gabbard |pages=p. 173 | location = [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick, NJ]] | publisher=Rutgers University Press |year= 2004|isbn = 081353383X | oclc = 53215708}}</ref>

To save the white protagonist, however, he would do anything, including sacrificing himself, as [[Sidney Poitier]] portrays in ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'', the prototypical magical negro movie.<ref name="strangehorizons" /> Note that Poitier's character is also saved by the white protagonist.

==Examples== 

Examples of magical negroes as published by social commentators include:

*[[Uncle Remus]] ([[James Baskett]]) in the film ''[[Song of the South]]'' ([[1946]]) <ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.patrickkillough.com/ethics/brer_rabbit.html |title=BRER RABBIT SEZ, SEZEE: THE WISDOM OF JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS |first=Patrick |last=Killough |date=1997-12-09 |accessdate=2007-05-16}}</ref>
*Noah Cullen ([[Sidney Poitier]]) in the film ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'' ([[1958 in film|1958]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" />
*The magical negro is a recurring archetype in novels by author [[Stephen King]]:
:*Dick Hallorann in ''[[The Shining (novel)|The Shining]]'' (1977), and in both the [[The Shining (film)|1980 film adaptation]] ([[Scatman Crothers]]) and the [[The Shining (mini-series)|1997 TV miniseries]] ([[Melvin Van Peebles]])<ref name="strangehorizons" />
:*Mother Abagail in ''[[The Stand]]'' (1978), and the [[The Stand (TV miniseries)|1994 TV adaptation]] ([[Ruby Dee]])<ref name="strangehorizons" />
:*John Coffey in ''[[The Green Mile (book)|The Green Mile]]'' (1996), and the [[The Green Mile (film)|1999 film adaptation]] ([[Michael Clarke Duncan]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" /><ref name="ejumpcut" />
*Oda Mae Brown ([[Whoopi Goldberg]]) in the film ''[[Ghost (film)|Ghost]]'' ([[1990 in film|1990]])<ref name="blackcommentator" />
*Cash ([[Don Cheadle]]) in the film ''[[The Family Man]]'' ([[2000 in film|2000]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="SpikeLee" /><ref name="ejumpcut" />
*Bagger Vance ([[Will Smith]]) in the film ''[[The Legend of Bagger Vance]]'' ([[2000 in film|2000]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" /><ref name="SpikeLee" /><ref name="ejumpcut" /><ref>{{cite news||title=That Old Black Magic |date= [[2000-05-27]] | first = Christopher John | last = Farley | authorlink = Christopher John Farley |work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998604,00.html |accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref>
*Gloria Dump ([[Cicely Tyson]]) in the film ''[[Because of Winn-Dixie (film)|Because of Winn-Dixie]]'' ([[2005 in film|2005]])<ref name='charlotteObs'>{{cite news | first=Gary | last=Thompson | coauthors= | title='Winn-Dixie' Gets No Place Fast | date=[[2005-02-18]] | publisher=[[Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC]] | url =http://ae.charlotte.com/entertainment/ui/charlotte/movie.html;jsessionid=2738A0AB6137F17664C1590346E175C7.prodapp14_ae_02?id=241836&reviewId=17357 | work =[[The Philadelphia Daily News]] | pages = | accessdate = 2007-07-21 | language = }}</ref>


Note, however, that black characters with apparent supernatural powers who are portrayed as independent, who have a level of power roughly equivalent to that of other characters, and who are not subservient to whites — such as [[Mace Windu]] ([[Samuel L. Jackson]]) in ''[[Star Wars]]'', [[Morpheus (Matrix character)|Morpheus]] ([[Laurence Fishburne]]) in [[The Matrix series|the ''Matrix'' series]], and [[Storm (Marvel Comics)|Storm]] ([[Halle Berry]]) in ''[[X-Men (film)|the X-Men]]'' — are not usually considered weakened magical negroes; nor are helpful non-white characters without some magical or fantastical element.<ref name="blackcommentator" />

However, the common repetitive trend remains — that all these non-white characters are still not the main protagonists (heroes) in their storylines. Hence, the definition of the magical negro may also include non-white protagonists who continue to be teamed up with a white hero as well. The concern is that the magical negro may still be covertly used as a subordinate character to white protagonists. Even though they may play a central figure in a storyline, they are portrayed as being unable to solve challenges without the involvement of a white associate.<ref name="blackcommentator" />

Several commentators perceive [[Morgan Freeman]]'s portrayal of [[God]] in ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'' and ''[[Evan Almighty]]'' as an example of the magical negro [[archetype]].<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref>{{cite news |title= Just Say Noah |date= [[2007-06-22]] |first= David |last= Plotz |work= [[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |url= http://www.slate.com/id/2168886/ |accessdate= 2007-06-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Inventory: 13 Movies featuring magical black men |date= [[2007-03-04]] |first= |last= |work= [[The Onion A.V. Club]] |url= http://www.avclub.com/content/node/59258 |accessdate= 2007-08-11}} </ref> However, since God is not a [[fictional character|character]] created by the author and has neither race nor gender, a person of any race or gender could also be selected to perform the role, like [[Alanis Morissette]] in ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]'' (although one commentator asserts that "[[Chris Rock]]’s Thirteenth Apostle in ''Dogma'' is one example."<ref name="ejumpcut" />)

==Barack Obama==
On [[March 19]], [[2007]], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' columnist [[David Ehrenstein]] wrote: "But it's clear that [[Barack Obama|Obama]] also is running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination—the 'Magic Negro.'"<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail| last = Ehrenstein | first = David | authorlink = David Ehrenstein |title = Obama the 'Magic Negro' | publisher = [[Los Angeles Times]] | date= 2007-03-19| accessdate = 2007-03-30}}</ref> Ehrenstein, himself an African-American, detailed the reasons he believes Obama fits the template in his opinion column. The column received world-wide attention and discussion, especially in the news media and in [[talk radio]]. [[Rush Limbaugh]] aired a song parody called [http://mfile.akamai.com/5020/wma/rushlimb.download.akamai.com/5020/New/barackthemagicnegro.asx "Barack, the Magic Negro"], sung by [[Paul Shanklin]] impersonating [[Al Sharpton]] and based on the [[Peter, Paul, and Mary]] song "[[Puff, the Magic Dragon]]". Limbaugh also referred to the 2008 presidential candidate as the "magic negro" several times during his radio broadcast, each time prefacing the reference by explaining that the title came from Ehrenstein and/or the LA Times.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External link==
*{{cite web |url= http://www.avclub.com/content/node/59258 |title= Inventory: 13 Movies featuring magical black men |date=2007-03-04 |author= Steven Hyden, Sean O'Neal |publisher=www.avclub.com |accessdate=2007-05-12}}

[[Category:Stock characters]]
[[Category:Fictional African-Americans]]

Magical Negro

2007-09-28T15:27:54Z

72.75.65.41: "migger" is not supported by the referenced citation ... see talk page

The '''magical negro''' (sometimes called the '''mystical negro''', '''magic negro''', or '''our Magical African-American Friend''') is a [[stock character]] who appears in fiction of a variety of media. The word ''[[negro]]'', now considered archaic and offensive, is used intentionally to claim that the archetype is a racist throwback, an update of the "[[Sambo (racial term)|Sambo]]" and "savage other" stereotypes.<ref>{{cite book|title=Race, Sex, and Suspicion: The Myth of the Black Male |first= D. Marvin | last = Jones |pages= p. 35 |location = [[Westport, Connecticut|Westport, Conn.]]| publisher=Praeger Publishers |year=2005 |isbn = 0275974626 | oclc = 56095393}}</ref> The term was popularized by [[Spike Lee]], who derided the [[archetype]] of the "super-duper magical negro"<ref name="blackcommentator">{{cite news | title= Too Too Divine: Movies' 'Magic Negro' Saves the Day - but at the Cost of His Soul | url= http://www.blackcommentator.com/49/49_magic.html | first = Rita | last = Kempley | date= [[2003-06-07]] | work = [[The Washington Post]]| accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> in 2001 while discussing films with students at [[Washington State University]]<ref name="strangehorizons">{{cite news |url= http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20041025/kinga.shtml |title= Stephen King's Super-Duper Magical Negroes |first= Nnedi | last = Okorafor-Mbachu | authorlink = Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu| work = Strange Horizons |date= [[2004-10-25]] | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> and at [[Yale University]].<ref name="SpikeLee">{{cite news | url = http://www.yale.edu/opa/v29.n21/story3.html | title = Director Spike Lee slams 'same old' black stereotypes in today's films | first = Susan | last = Gonzalez | work = Yale Bulletin & Calendar | publisher =[[Yale University]] | date = [[2001-03-02]] | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref>

==The Magical Negro in Fiction==
The magical negro is typically "in some way outwardly or inwardly disabled, either by discrimination, disability or social constraint," often a janitor or prisoner.<ref name="Hicks">{{cite journal|first=Heather J. |last = Hicks | journal = Camera Obscura | title= Hoodoo Economics: White Men's Work and Black Men's Magic in Contemporary American Film |publisher=Camera Obscura |volume=18 |issue=2 |date=[[2003-09-01]] |pages= 27-55 |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-24435280_ITM |accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref> He has no past; he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist.<ref name="ejumpcut">{{cite journal | url= http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/jc45.2002/colombe/ |title= White Hollywood’s new Black boogeyman |first= Audrey | last = Colombe | issue = 45 | work = Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media | month = October | year = 2002 | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> He is the black stereotype, "prone to criminality and laziness."<ref>{{cite book|title=Contemporary Patterns of Politics, Praxis, and Culture | first = Georgia Anne | last = Persons |pages= p. 137 | location = [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick, NJ]] | publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=2005 |isbn = 141280468X | oclc = 56510401 }}</ref> To counterbalance this, he has some sort of magical power, "rather vaguely defined but not the sort of thing one typically encounters."<ref name="ejumpcut" /> He is patient and wise, often dispensing various words of wisdom, and is "closer to the earth."<ref name="strangehorizons" />

The magical negro serves as a plot device to help the protagonist get out of trouble, typically through helping the white character recognize his own faults and overcome them.<ref name="strangehorizons" /> In this way, the magical negro is similar to the [[Deus ex machina]]; a simple way for the protagonist to overcome an obstacle almost entirely through outside help. Although he has magical powers, his "magic is ostensibly directed toward helping and enlightening a white male character."<ref name="Hicks" /> It is this feature of the magical negro that some people find most troubling. Although the character seems to be showing African-Americans in a positive light, he is still ultimately subordinate to whites. He is also regarded as an exception, allowing white America to "like individual black people but not black culture."<ref>{{cite book|title=Black Magic: White Hollywood and African American Culture | first = Krin | last = Gabbard |pages=p. 173 | location = [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick, NJ]] | publisher=Rutgers University Press |year= 2004|isbn = 081353383X | oclc = 53215708}}</ref>

To save the white protagonist, however, he would do anything, including sacrificing himself, as [[Sidney Poitier]] portrays in ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'', the prototypical magical negro movie.<ref name="strangehorizons" /> Note that Poitier's character is also saved by the white protagonist.

==Examples== 

Examples of magical negroes as published by social commentators include:

*[[Uncle Remus]] ([[James Baskett]]) in the film ''[[Song of the South]]'' ([[1946]]) <ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.patrickkillough.com/ethics/brer_rabbit.html |title=BRER RABBIT SEZ, SEZEE: THE WISDOM OF JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS |first=Patrick |last=Killough |date=1997-12-09 |accessdate=2007-05-16}}</ref>
*Noah Cullen ([[Sidney Poitier]]) in the film ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'' ([[1958 in film|1958]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" />
*The magical negro is a recurring archetype in novels by author [[Stephen King]]:
:*Dick Hallorann in ''[[The Shining (novel)|The Shining]]'' (1977), and in both the [[The Shining (film)|1980 film adaptation]] ([[Scatman Crothers]]) and the [[The Shining (mini-series)|1997 TV miniseries]] ([[Melvin Van Peebles]])<ref name="strangehorizons" />
:*Mother Abagail in ''[[The Stand]]'' (1978), and the [[The Stand (TV miniseries)|1994 TV adaptation]] ([[Ruby Dee]])<ref name="strangehorizons" />
:*John Coffey in ''[[The Green Mile (book)|The Green Mile]]'' (1996), and the [[The Green Mile (film)|1999 film adaptation]] ([[Michael Clarke Duncan]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" /><ref name="ejumpcut" />
*Oda Mae Brown ([[Whoopi Goldberg]]) in the film ''[[Ghost (film)|Ghost]]'' ([[1990 in film|1990]])<ref name="blackcommentator" />
*Cash ([[Don Cheadle]]) in the film ''[[The Family Man]]'' ([[2000 in film|2000]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="SpikeLee" /><ref name="ejumpcut" />
*Bagger Vance ([[Will Smith]]) in the film ''[[The Legend of Bagger Vance]]'' ([[2000 in film|2000]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" /><ref name="SpikeLee" /><ref name="ejumpcut" /><ref>{{cite news||title=That Old Black Magic |date= [[2000-05-27]] | first = Christopher John | last = Farley | authorlink = Christopher John Farley |work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998604,00.html |accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref>
*Gloria Dump ([[Cicely Tyson]]) in the film ''[[Because of Winn-Dixie (film)|Because of Winn-Dixie]]'' ([[2005 in film|2005]])<ref name='charlotteObs'>{{cite news | first=Gary | last=Thompson | coauthors= | title='Winn-Dixie' Gets No Place Fast | date=[[2005-02-18]] | publisher=[[Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC]] | url =http://ae.charlotte.com/entertainment/ui/charlotte/movie.html;jsessionid=2738A0AB6137F17664C1590346E175C7.prodapp14_ae_02?id=241836&reviewId=17357 | work =[[The Philadelphia Daily News]] | pages = | accessdate = 2007-07-21 | language = }}</ref>


Note, however, that black characters with apparent supernatural powers who are portrayed as independent, who have a level of power roughly equivalent to that of other characters, and who are not subservient to whites — such as [[Mace Windu]] ([[Samuel L. Jackson]]) in ''[[Star Wars]]'', [[Morpheus (Matrix character)|Morpheus]] ([[Laurence Fishburne]]) in [[The Matrix series|the ''Matrix'' series]], and [[Storm (Marvel Comics)|Storm]] ([[Halle Berry]]) in ''[[X-Men (film)|the X-Men]]'' — are not usually considered weakened magical negroes; nor are helpful non-white characters without some magical or fantastical element.<ref name="blackcommentator" />

However, the common repetitive trend remains — that all these non-white characters are still not the main protagonists (heroes) in their storylines. Hence, the definition of the magical negro may also include non-white protagonists who continue to be teamed up with a white hero as well. The concern is that the magical negro may still be covertly used as a subordinate character to white protagonists. Even though they may play a central figure in a storyline, they are portrayed as being unable to solve challenges without the involvement of a white associate.<ref name="blackcommentator" />

Several commentators perceive [[Morgan Freeman]]'s portrayal of [[God]] in ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'' and ''[[Evan Almighty]]'' as an example of the magical negro [[archetype]].<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref>{{cite news |title= Just Say Noah |date= [[2007-06-22]] |first= David |last= Plotz |work= [[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |url= http://www.slate.com/id/2168886/ |accessdate= 2007-06-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Inventory: 13 Movies featuring magical black men |date= [[2007-03-04]] |first= |last= |work= [[The Onion A.V. Club]] |url= http://www.avclub.com/content/node/59258 |accessdate= 2007-08-11}} </ref> However, since God is not a [[fictional character|character]] created by the author and has neither race nor gender, a person of any race or gender could also be selected to perform the role, like [[Alanis Morissette]] in ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]'' (although one commentator asserts that "[[Chris Rock]]’s Thirteenth Apostle in ''Dogma'' is one example."<ref name="ejumpcut" />)

==Barack Obama==
On [[March 19]], [[2007]], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' columnist [[David Ehrenstein]] wrote: "But it's clear that [[Barack Obama|Obama]] also is running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination—the 'Magic Negro.'"<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail| last = Ehrenstein | first = David | authorlink = David Ehrenstein |title = Obama the 'Magic Negro' | publisher = [[Los Angeles Times]] | date= 2007-03-19| accessdate = 2007-03-30}}</ref> Ehrenstein, himself an African-American, detailed the reasons he believes Obama fits the template in his opinion column. The column received world-wide attention and discussion, especially in the news media and in [[talk radio]]. [[Rush Limbaugh]] aired a song parody called [http://mfile.akamai.com/5020/wma/rushlimb.download.akamai.com/5020/New/barackthemagicnegro.asx "Barack, the Magic Negro"], sung by [[Paul Shanklin]] impersonating [[Al Sharpton]] and based on the [[Peter, Paul, and Mary]] song "[[Puff, the Magic Dragon]]". Limbaugh also referred to the 2008 presidential candidate as the "magic negro" several times during his radio broadcast, each time prefacing the reference by explaining that the title came from Ehrenstein and/or the LA Times.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External link==
*{{cite web |url= http://www.avclub.com/content/node/59258 |title= Inventory: 13 Movies featuring magical black men |date=2007-03-04 |author= Steven Hyden, Sean O'Neal |publisher=www.avclub.com |accessdate=2007-05-12}}

[[Category:Stock characters]]
[[Category:Fictional African-Americans]]

Magical Negro

2007-09-25T14:04:43Z

72.75.65.41: restored cited reference: "In the epic novel The Stand Mother Abigail is powerfully religious and magical."

The '''magical negro''' (sometimes called the '''mystical negro''', '''magic negro''', or '''our Magical African-American Friend''') is a [[stock character]] who appears in fiction of a variety of media. The word ''[[negro]]'', now considered archaic and offensive, is used intentionally to claim that the archetype is a racist throwback, an update of the "[[Sambo (racial term)|Sambo]]" and "savage other" stereotypes.<ref>{{cite book|title=Race, Sex, and Suspicion: The Myth of the Black Male |first= D. Marvin | last = Jones |pages= p. 35 |location = [[Westport, Connecticut|Westport, Conn.]]| publisher=Praeger Publishers |year=2005 |isbn = 0275974626 | oclc = 56095393}}</ref> The term was popularized by [[Spike Lee]], who derided the [[archetype]] of the "super-duper magical negro"<ref name="blackcommentator">{{cite news | title= Too Too Divine: Movies' 'Magic Negro' Saves the Day - but at the Cost of His Soul | url= http://www.blackcommentator.com/49/49_magic.html | first = Rita | last = Kempley | date= [[2003-06-07]] | work = [[The Washington Post]]| accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> in 2001 while discussing films with students at [[Washington State University]]<ref name="strangehorizons">{{cite news |url= http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20041025/kinga.shtml |title= Stephen King's Super-Duper Magical Negroes |first= Nnedi | last = Okorafor-Mbachu | authorlink = Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu| work = Strange Horizons |date= [[2004-10-25]] | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> and at [[Yale University]].<ref name="SpikeLee">{{cite news | url = http://www.yale.edu/opa/v29.n21/story3.html | title = Director Spike Lee slams 'same old' black stereotypes in today's films | first = Susan | last = Gonzalez | work = Yale Bulletin & Calendar | publisher =[[Yale University]] | date = [[2001-03-02]] | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref>

==The Magical Negro in Fiction==
The magical negro is typically "in some way outwardly or inwardly disabled, either by discrimination, disability or social constraint," often a janitor or prisoner.<ref name="Hicks">{{cite journal|first=Heather J. |last = Hicks | journal = Camera Obscura | title= Hoodoo Economics: White Men's Work and Black Men's Magic in Contemporary American Film |publisher=Camera Obscura |volume=18 |issue=2 |date=[[2003-09-01]] |pages= 27-55 |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-24435280_ITM |accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref> He has no past; he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist.<ref name="ejumpcut">{{cite journal | url= http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/jc45.2002/colombe/ |title= White Hollywood’s new Black boogeyman |first= Audrey | last = Colombe | issue = 45 | work = Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media | month = October | year = 2002 | accessdate = 2006-12-03 }}</ref> He is the black stereotype, "prone to criminality and laziness."<ref>{{cite book|title=Contemporary Patterns of Politics, Praxis, and Culture | first = Georgia Anne | last = Persons |pages= p. 137 | location = [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick, NJ]] | publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=2005 |isbn = 141280468X | oclc = 56510401 }}</ref> To counterbalance this, he has some sort of magical power, "rather vaguely defined but not the sort of thing one typically encounters."<ref name="ejumpcut" /> He is patient and wise, often dispensing various words of wisdom, and is "closer to the earth."<ref name="strangehorizons" />

The magical negro serves as a plot device to help the protagonist get out of trouble, typically through helping the white character recognize his own faults and overcome them.<ref name="strangehorizons" /> In this way, the magical negro is similar to the [[Deus ex machina]]; a simple way for the protagonist to overcome an obstacle almost entirely through outside help. Although he has magical powers, his "magic is ostensibly directed toward helping and enlightening a white male character."<ref name="Hicks" /> It is this feature of the magical negro that some people find most troubling. Although the character seems to be showing African-Americans in a positive light, he is still ultimately subordinate to whites. He is also regarded as an exception, allowing white America to "like individual black people but not black culture."<ref>{{cite book|title=Black Magic: White Hollywood and African American Culture | first = Krin | last = Gabbard |pages=p. 173 | location = [[New Brunswick, New Jersey|New Brunswick, NJ]] | publisher=Rutgers University Press |year= 2004|isbn = 081353383X | oclc = 53215708}}</ref>

To save the white protagonist, however, he would do anything, including sacrificing himself, as [[Sidney Poitier]] portrays in ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'', the prototypical magical negro movie.<ref name="strangehorizons" /> Note that Poitier's character is also saved by the white protagonist.

==Examples== 

Examples of magical negroes as published by social commentators include:

*[[Uncle Remus]] ([[James Baskett]]) in the film ''[[Song of the South]]'' ([[1946]]) <ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.patrickkillough.com/ethics/brer_rabbit.html |title=BRER RABBIT SEZ, SEZEE: THE WISDOM OF JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS |first=Patrick |last=Killough |date=1997-12-09 |accessdate=2007-05-16}}</ref>
*Noah Cullen ([[Sidney Poitier]]) in the film ''[[The Defiant Ones]]'' ([[1958 in film|1958]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" />
*The magical negro is a recurring archetype in novels by author [[Stephen King]]:
:*Dick Hallorann in ''[[The Shining (novel)|The Shining]]'' (1977), and in both the [[The Shining (film)|1980 film adaptation]] ([[Scatman Crothers]]) and the [[The Shining (mini-series)|1997 TV miniseries]] ([[Melvin Van Peebles]])<ref name="strangehorizons" />
:*Mother Abagail in ''[[The Stand]]'' (1978), and the [[The Stand (TV miniseries)|1994 TV adaptation]] ([[Ruby Dee]])<ref name="strangehorizons" />
:*John Coffey in ''[[The Green Mile (book)|The Green Mile]]'' (1996), and the [[The Green Mile (film)|1999 film adaptation]] ([[Michael Clarke Duncan]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" /><ref name="ejumpcut" />
*Oda Mae Brown ([[Whoopi Goldberg]]) in the film ''[[Ghost (film)|Ghost]]'' ([[1990 in film|1990]])<ref name="blackcommentator" />
*Cash ([[Don Cheadle]]) in the film ''[[The Family Man]]'' ([[2000 in film|2000]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="SpikeLee" /><ref name="ejumpcut" />
*Bagger Vance ([[Will Smith]]) in the film ''[[The Legend of Bagger Vance]]'' ([[2000 in film|2000]])<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref name="strangehorizons" /><ref name="SpikeLee" /><ref name="ejumpcut" /><ref>{{cite news||title=That Old Black Magic |date= [[2000-05-27]] | first = Christopher John | last = Farley | authorlink = Christopher John Farley |work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,998604,00.html |accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref>
*Gloria Dump ([[Cicely Tyson]]) in the film ''[[Because of Winn-Dixie (film)|Because of Winn-Dixie]]'' ([[2005 in film|2005]])<ref name='charlotteObs'>{{cite news | first=Gary | last=Thompson | coauthors= | title='Winn-Dixie' Gets No Place Fast | date=[[2005-02-18]] | publisher=[[Philadelphia Media Holdings LLC]] | url =http://ae.charlotte.com/entertainment/ui/charlotte/movie.html;jsessionid=2738A0AB6137F17664C1590346E175C7.prodapp14_ae_02?id=241836&reviewId=17357 | work =[[The Philadelphia Daily News]] | pages = | accessdate = 2007-07-21 | language = }}</ref>


Note, however, that black characters with apparent supernatural powers who are portrayed as independent, who have a level of power roughly equivalent to that of other characters, and who are not subservient to whites — such as [[Mace Windu]] ([[Samuel L. Jackson]]) in ''[[Star Wars]]'', [[Morpheus (Matrix character)|Morpheus]] ([[Laurence Fishburne]]) in [[The Matrix series|the ''Matrix'' series]], and [[Storm (Marvel Comics)|Storm]] ([[Halle Berry]]) in ''[[X-Men (film)|the X-Men]]'' — are not usually considered weakened magical negroes; nor are helpful non-white characters without some magical or fantastical element.<ref name="blackcommentator" />

However, the common repetitive trend remains — that all these non-white characters are still not the main protagonists (heroes) in their storylines. Hence, the definition of the magical negro may also include non-white protagonists who continue to be teamed up with a white hero as well. The concern is that the magical negro may still be covertly used as a subordinate character to white protagonists. Even though they may play a central figure in a storyline, they are portrayed as being unable to solve challenges without the involvement of a white associate.<ref name="blackcommentator" />

Several commentators perceive [[Morgan Freeman]]'s portrayal of [[God]] in ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'' and ''[[Evan Almighty]]'' as an example of the magical negro [[archetype]].<ref name="blackcommentator" /><ref>{{cite news |title= Just Say Noah |date= [[2007-06-22]] |first= David |last= Plotz |work= [[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |url= http://www.slate.com/id/2168886/ |accessdate= 2007-06-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Inventory: 13 Movies featuring magical black men |date= [[2007-03-04]] |first= |last= |work= [[The Onion A.V. Club]] |url= http://www.avclub.com/content/node/59258 |accessdate= 2007-08-11}} </ref> However, since God is not a [[fictional character|character]] created by the author and has neither race nor gender, a person of any race or gender could also be selected to perform the role, like [[Alanis Morissette]] in ''[[Dogma (film)|Dogma]]'' (although one commentator asserts that "[[Chris Rock]]’s Thirteenth Apostle in ''Dogma'' is one example."<ref name="ejumpcut" />)

==Barack Obama==
On [[March 19]], [[2007]], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' columnist [[David Ehrenstein]] wrote: "But it's clear that [[Barack Obama|Obama]] also is running for an equally important unelected office, in the province of the popular imagination—the 'Magic Negro.'"<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ehrenstein19mar19,0,5335087.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail| last = Ehrenstein | first = David | authorlink = David Ehrenstein |title = Obama the 'Magic Negro' | publisher = [[Los Angeles Times]] | date= 2007-03-19| accessdate = 2007-03-30}}</ref> Ehrenstein, himself an African-American, detailed the reasons he believes Obama fits the template in his opinion column. The column received world-wide attention and discussion, especially in the news media and in [[talk radio]]. [[Rush Limbaugh]] aired a song parody called [http://mfile.akamai.com/5020/wma/rushlimb.download.akamai.com/5020/New/barackthemagicnegro.asx "Barack, the Magic Negro"], sung by [[Paul Shanklin]] impersonating [[Al Sharpton]] and based on the [[Peter, Paul, and Mary]] song "[[Puff, the Magic Dragon]]". Limbaugh also referred to the 2008 presidential candidate as the "magic negro" several times during his radio broadcast, each time prefacing the reference by explaining that the title came from Ehrenstein and/or the LA Times.

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External link==
*{{cite web |url= http://www.avclub.com/content/node/59258 |title= Inventory: 13 Movies featuring magical black men |date=2007-03-04 |author= Steven Hyden, Sean O'Neal |publisher=www.avclub.com |accessdate=2007-05-12}}

[[Category:Stock characters]]
[[Category:Fictional African-Americans]]