It's easy to ignore Rush Limbaugh. After all, everyone knows he's a racist jerk. And everyone knows his listeners are racist jerks, and they're not our people anyway so why do we have to pay attention. Why should we care? If we get mad about something he says, aren't we just giving him the attention he wants?
Most of the time, we can ignore him. But no matter how tempting it may be, we can't ignore "Barack the Magic Negro." Here's why: a web poll by a Sacramento affiliate of CBS news shows that 91% of people don't think the song is racist. And sure, it's just a stupid web poll. Of course, Rush has instructed people to go inflate the poll. But it doesn't matter. This kind of thing influences people's general opinions, particularly something as difficult as racism. In my own circle of highly educated, progressive and mostly white friends, there is not universal agreement on the racist nature of this song. And there is a strong tendency by them to just roll their eyes and ignore it.
I'm saying that as progressives, it's our job to explain why this is racist, and then to call it out. If we don't, we're being passively racist ourselves.
There are a couple of important points here. One, the original L.A. Times article that sent Rush on his rampage was a legitimate -- if sad -- observation about how so many whites may be responding to Obama's candidacy. Two, Sharpton and other Black leaders have raised legitimate concerns about the substance of Obama's campaign from their perspective. Nothing is inherently racist about Rush's opportunistic seizing on either of these points.
But as Dan points out on Kos, when a white DJ creates a baffoonish, stereotype-laden Amos-and-Andy-sounding voice to portray any black man, that is racist and insulting, and it can't be tolerated. The song also references "real black men, like Snoop Dog," which again reinforces unfair stereotypes of black men. But the worst comes at the end of the parody song:
Don't vote the Magic Negro in --'Cause -- 'cause I won't have nothing after all these years of sacrifice
And I won't get justice. This is about justice. This isn't about me, it's about justice.
It's about buffet. I don't have no buffet and there won't be any church contributions,
And there'll be no cash in the collection plate.
There ain't gonna be no cash money, no walkin' around money, no phoning money.
This is what should enrage every progressive in this country. If Black leaders can be ridiculed, and when their fight for justice can be characterized as a ploy for money without consequence, our cause is in serious trouble. We can't just dismiss it.
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