The magical Negro has been a stock character in American fiction since at least the late 1950s. It is a Negro, a black person, who comes out of nowhere with strange powers or deep wisdom to help white people, sometimes even giving his life.
Examples:
- Whoopi Goldberg in “Ghost”
- Will Smith in “The Legend of Bagger Vance”
- Michael Clarke Duncan in “The Green Mile”
- Ruby Dee in “The Stand”
- Morgan Freeman in “Bruce Almighty”
- Laurence Fishburne in “The Matrix”
- Sidney Poitier in “The Defiant Ones”
Magical Negroes are common in the books of Stephen King.
Will Smith in “Six Degrees of Separation” plays on white people’s seeming need to believe in magical Negroes. It is based on the true story of David Hampton.
Most magical Negroes are not fleshed-out characters that we come to care about – for the most part they are plot devices. They come out of nowhere and often disappear.
Black-skinned people with strange powers is not limited just to American stories in our day. “The Legend of Bagger Vance” is based on an ancient story from India, one where Will Smith’s character was often painted with black skin!
A thousand years ago in China there were stories of black slaves of great strength and secret knowledge, who saved their master’s lovers or found hidden treasure for them. They could cure people with their strange, black skin.
Is the magical Negro a racist character?
Magical Negroes often put black characters in a good light – Morgan Freeman gets to play God and Ruby Dee becomes the wise and good Mother Abigail. It also shows them giving their lives for others – a noble thing.
Their strange powers allow them to escape white stereotypes of blacks as incapable. It allows them to deal with whites on equal terms.
Yet it also shows blacks as being strange and different, as other. The idea that blacks might have some deep power or wisdom comes from viewing them as being closer to animals than whites are and therefore more in tune with nature. It is the same sort of thinking that leads to stereotypes about blacks as being oversexed.
Blacks giving themselves selflessly in the service of whites is something you see in the Mammy stereotype of older Hollywood films. It is an idea that goes back to slave days.
Is Barack Obama a magical Negro?
His blackness makes him a great unknown to many whites. This causes some to fear him because there is no telling what he might do. But it also causes other whites to have unfounded hope in him – because there is no telling what he might do (in a good way, that is). Something that became important after the fall of the Wall Street banks. That is seeing Obama as a magical Negro.
Barack Obama is also a David Hampton character: some whites, because of their hangups about blacks, want to think well of him and, again, have an unfounded confidence in him.
See also:
It’s funny that there’s a new post about magical negro because I just heard about a song being distributed by an RNC candidate called “Barack the Magic Negro”
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/rnc-candidate-distributes-controversial-obama-song-2008-12-26.html
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I saw that story too. This is something I have been thinking of writing about since Obama won. Seeing the story pushed me into writing it.
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this is an interesting post. i remember reading an article some time ago about Obama being a “magical negro”. but it was more about him transcending racial barriers, as opposed to being a mysterious exotic. in any case, you definitely got the wheels turning and this may be a fantastic thesis idea.
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This isn’t the first time someone has made the analogy of the age-old “magical negro” stereotype and Obama.
When will people finally stop analyzing the man’s race, already?
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I saw the title and LOLed. Very interesting. Dr. Frances Cress Welsing says something about blacks (because of the melanin in their skin) being more in tune with nature than whites. I’m not too sure about that. Another thing, I read from a commentor on a blogsite something to this extent “if blacks were the first people and humans evoled from animals, then it must be true that blacks are closer to animals than whites” it certainly had racist intent but this post just tied right into it all. Barack Obama is not a magical negro. He is simply a man.
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Right: Barack Obama is just a man. But because white Americans have never had a black president before, it is going to take them some time to see that. So the race thing will keep coming up, in one form or other, for quite a while. Even longer if the Republicans stand to gain from it.
There was a point in early October when Palin was on the edge of rank xenophobia. Thank God Americans had more sense than that.
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Never heard it called Magical Negro before…
And Morgan Freeman has been a Magical Negro quite a few times..
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like I said – to vote or not to vote for me
has nothing to do with race
1) Line up the issue
2) see who has most check marks in the agree (or mostly agree) colomn
3) vote
I ignore media and hype…Dont give a damn what color the man is..if its a man or a women – protestant, cathlolic, jewish, muslim or agnostic. I care if they are gonna do a good job.
I am bothered by the fact that we paid both candidates to do a job they didnt do (senetor) because they spent two years campaigning for their next job. If I did that – I would get fired. Of course what would you expect of a fiscally conservative libeterian.
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I disagree with you, as I have elsewhere. Race and religion do matter in sizing up a candidate. Both those things affects people see the world. This blog proves that in regard to race. But, yes, some people give those things more weight than they deserve.
When Kennedy ran in 1960 some people were afraid that because he was Catholic he would be remote controlled by the pope. That is not how Catholicism works, certainly not in practice, but in and of itself it is fair question to ask.
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Black Girl Thinking: yes, Morgan Freeman is almost the archetypal magical Negro. Sidney Poitier too.
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Here’s the back story on the whole Obama “Magical Negro” fiasco–before the republican cd distribution.
http://unclefatlips.com/top-feature/will-the-real-magical-negro-please-shut-up/
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I know this is an older post, and I don’t even remember how I came across it.
While I have heard the term “magical negro” I never heard the whole “closer to nature” jibberish. Strangefruit mentioned another person’s post that made me shake my head.
“if blacks were the first people and humans evoled from animals, then it must be true that blacks are closer to animals than whites.”
Ok am I missing something here, how does that make sense? What is it about humans adapting to environments don’t they understand? If the world was one big land mass, little to no migration blocking obstacles and one constant environment/climate we’ll all look pretty much the same today, there wouldn’t be a black and white. It’s a self serving idea to believe time magically stood still for other people but yours and your culture was created in a vacuum. Really? Come on, just sounds like more BS race “logic” and I use the term loosely.
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This is another great post. It is about race, but then again it isn’t. I think it’s more about the ways people accept those who are different to them. Fear and hate might be one (sad but logical) way. Thinking that the “strange ones” have some profound knowledge is another way to go.
In any case, “magical Negro” once again shows that black people are not truly seen as “one of us” by white people. Thinking that someone has some secret knowledge or spiritual power or can save the world just because is a nonsense.
Oh, and I believe Fishburne’s wasn’t the first choice for Morpheus in “The Matrix”; it was Gary Oldman.
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hi bloggers, i’m from india and this post of mine, strictly speaking, is a bit off-topic. i often wonder about why most blacks in hollywood movies are shown to be extremely funky and nonsensical, as if it’s a racial trait (and unfortunately some do believe that it’s a racial trait. to them i show djimon hounsou and denzel washington, my two favs. anyway, i don’t give a damn about what they think). it’s hard for me to understand the scenario across the ocean, so could you please explain?
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It is a Hollywood stereotype. It is how white people think of blacks. Most Hollywood films are written by white men. Also: many black entertainers play to white stereotypes because it is much easier to make money that way.
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I don’t hate black actors for doing it, though I understand why other blacks disapprove. Feeding stereotypes is not a good thing.
I believe Magical Negroes are a perfect example of PC gone racist, so to speak. They (filmmakers) want to make positive black characters, and ok, let’s give them benefit of the doubt and say their effort is honest. However, the way they shape those characters shows “race fail” and hidden (or not so hidden) racism. First of all, they make Magical Negro so perfect that he or she is unrealistic. Second of all, they make it (again) all about white person that receives help/advice from a black person (meaning: good blacks are here only to like and help whites). And third (and possibly the most disrespectful of all), they are often made literally “magical” (they posses hidden and exotic powers, they are divine, etc.)- which shows they are not seen as truly human but as strange beings close to nature.
I think black people should be in charge here. I am definitely not against whites writing non-white characters, but obviously they fail more often than not.
But I guess blacks are not interested in writing characters for mainstream movies marketed to whites (and I can’t blame them), and also, whites are not interested in “letting” blacks do that.
Still, it would be interesting to see…
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This article really strikes a chord with my aboriginal identity, as in many movies do you ever notice the “Magic Indian”, who teaches the white man about the woods and the wilderness or magic, or some other hokey shit, offering their “Ancient Indian wisdom” to our white protagonist, who eventually becomes BETTER at whatever the Indian teaches him, culminating with the Indian sacrificing himself for the Whiteman, and the white hero using these skills to save the day. And paying tearful tribute to his dear Tonto. Its nauseating.
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‘Dances with Wolves’ comes to mind with this stereotype.
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Okay I have taken two years of world religion \mythology class and I am of judo pagan faith from what I have learned the magical Negro has origin in religion the holiness of pagan faith black people.in India around 1300-1700s black people were often seen as descendents of dark moon spirits and considered powerful. In Daoism they were(not in modern day Daoism) considered to have powerful yin. Becuse of their worship of pagan gods/goddess many cultures believed they were powerful spell casters. Babalu Aye is a powerful small pox god and a black man he is said to heal with a touch hence the healing with black skin. Not closer to animals but closer to life death and rebirth with was seen as primitive to white Christian settlers. The herbal medicine knowledge of the native American and the black slave in early America was demonized by white Christians becuse it gave them power.hence white magic black magic. But still most holy being throughout history were not white. The magical negro is a Christianized version of the fact there are many holy p.o.c.
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Similar with the native Americans which Stephen King consideres himself to be however I disagree with you on the green mile becuse the whole point of it was for you to see mcd as a holy being and want him to become free and not to die I cry everytime he dies in that movie. In the book he is given a slightly more detailed back story. Also I wouldn’t consider black actors playing judachirstian god as a magical negro but as god.
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Sidney Poitier, although he never had “powers”, always seems to rescue white people even at his own expense in his movies.
“To Sir With Love”
“In the Heat of the Night”
“Lilies of the Field”
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http://vimeo.com/m/52361381
Also movies- Corrina, Corrina-Whoopi Goldberg
Driving Miss Daisy-Morgan Freeman
Sex in the City movie-Jennifer Hudso
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^^*Hudson*
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I dont think morpheus counts. Neo was willing to risk his life to save morpheus, making morpheus an end in and of himself, wheras a magical negro would only be a means to an end, and we are clearly meant to feel morpheus’s pain when his hip is destroyed, and his joy when zion is not pwned to bits.
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*ship. There was never anything wrong with his hip.
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I loved the Green Mile and I loved Michael Clark Duncan, But I think the character of John Coffee falls in the magical negro meme, and Will Smith’s character In the Legend of Bagger Vance annoyed me to no end.
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I linked to this from a more recent blog post. I’m wondering about “Bruce Almighty.” It seems to me that the God character could just as easily have been played by a white person– in fact, in the 1970s movie “Oh God!” it was. Was Morgan Freeman chosen for the part because he is already stereotyped in movies as a Magical Negro? I’d be interested to hear some African-American perspectives on having God played by a black person vs. a white person. If a black actor is chosen, does that automatically make him a “Magical Negro”? In which case, should a movie producer avoid choosing a black actor in a movie that has God as a character? But doesn’t that very avoidance create other problems?
The issue seems to me to be much more complex than just saying “there was a Magical Negro character in that God movie.”
And then of course there’s the whole issue of what would happen if someone cast a woman in the God role…
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Morgan Freeman is, IMO, excellent at portraying fatherly, steadfast and authoritarian figures. I do not consider any of these traits as being in any way “magical” by their attachment to a Black person or film character. This said, and as well as portraying “G-d” in “Bruce Almighty”, Freeman has also played POTUS in two films thus far.
I myself do not view Morgan Freeman as a Magical Negro in his role as “G-d” in the film “Bruce Almighty” anymore than I viewed George Burns as a Magical Jew or Magical Caucasoid for playing “G-d” in the film “Oh, G-d”.
To my mind, Will Smith role in “The Legend of Bagger Vance” is the epitome of the Magical Negro character.
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@ Kristen @ Pay
Good point. God is God. Also, given the other characters Freeman has played, it is not surprising he would play God. He even has the right voice for it.
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Yes– Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones. 🙂
Thanks also for your response, Pay It Fwd. I can see the difference between playing God and playing the “Bagger Vance” character.
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^^ It’s kind of ironic that “Bagger Vance” should be seen as “only” a Magical Negro, rather than as godly, as the the story of Bagger Vance is based on the Hindu God, also known as Bhagavan, or Vishnu, the Supreme Being or Absolute Truth, with his blue-black face…
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^^ Not “only a magical Negro” but the epitome of one IMO.
Will Smith did not portray a blue-black faced Hindu god assisting an Indian warrior, what he did portrayed was a light brown faced, magical Negro golf caddy assisting a white man with seeming otherworldly advice on how to best hit a golf ball.(I myself actually watched the film, and can read Wikipedia articles as well as anyone else).
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Abagond, thank you for clearing that up in your article, so there you go, Pay it Forward. I am not sure why seeing a little irony would be bothersome to you yourself, actually and so forth and fifth.
Nevertheless: Thanks for
1. letting us know you have watched “Bagger Vance” (along with millions more who subscribe to reruns on Irish and British television), and also,
2. letting us know what Will Smith’s complexion is.
We had no idea. No one did. All these years I walking around thinking he was indigo, so your “whistle-blowing” is praiseworthy and will bring you the popularity you crave, won’t it?
As for Wikipedia….some of us not only watch films and read books (even dipping into translations of the Bhagavad Gita), we have continuing educations. There are even people who visit this blog-site who HAVE LIVED, and have even had full and interesting lives outside of lurking on the internet, eating Wikipedia with their double-yoked eggs and have no need to burp on their own indigestible envy.
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@ Bulainik: Thanks for all the insightful information on Bagger Vance.
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You missed the Oracle in the Matrix. Whereas the creator was a White man, the companion to him was the Oracle, who despite not being able to combat the Creator, helped Neo along his path.
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Even if Freeman plays God, his role is infinitely subservient to the White man. He always caters to comprehending and encouraging the well-being of his White “follower”. Much like the movies focused on illustrating Black plight, such as the Long Walk Home, the movie ultimately forces Black people into supporting roles, giving the White people an expression of complexity and nuances.
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