Magical Negro: Difference between revisions

The magical negro (sometimes called the mystical negro or magic negro), according to some critics and commentators, is a stock character who appears in fiction of a variety of media. The term has been in use since at least the 1950s, but has since been popularized by Spike Lee, who dismissed the archetype of the "super-duper magical negro"^[1] in 2001 while discussing his latest film at Yale University.^[2] The word "negro", now considered offensive, is used intentionally to emphasize their belief that the archetype is a racist throwback.

When he first encounters the (invariably white) protagonist, the magical negro often appears as someone uneducated and in a low station of life, such as a janitor or prisoner. The black character is depicted as wiser and spiritually deeper than the protagonist, and the magical negro is often used as a plot device to help the protagonist get out of trouble, and to help the white character recognize his own faults and overcome them. As a plot device, 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.

The black character may literally have special powers, or he may be mysterious in a way that suggests otherworldliness. Although it is usually a well-meaning attempt to portray a positive black character, critics like Lee, Ariel Dorfman, and Aaron McGruder believe that the use of this stock character is racist, because it perpetuates the idea that blacks should be subordinate to whites. The racial roles of the archetype are rarely reversed (lower-class white character helps a troubled black character).

The magical negro's power arises (generally) from his or her closer connection to nature, with a corresponding absence of sophistication, education, and (white) culture. As such, the magical negro can be considered a form of the "noble savage" or "wise old man" archetype. Variants include the Native American who helps pragmatic whites discover their inner spirituality and brings them back in touch with nature, and the servant (of any non-white race) who sacrifices himself to save his master.

Examples of magical negroes as published by social commentators include:

• Uncle Remus (James Baskett) in the film Song of the South (1946) ^[3]
• Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier) in the film The Defiant Ones (1958) ^[1][4]
• Dick Hallorann in the Stephen King novel The Shining (1977), the 1980 film version (played by Scatman Crothers) and the 1997 miniseries (played by Melvin Van Peebles) ^[4]
• Mother Abigail in the Stephen King novel The Stand (1978), later a 1994 TV miniseries (played by Ruby Dee) ^[4]
• Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) in the film Ghost (1990) ^[1]
• Moses the Clock Man (Bill Cobbs) in the film The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) ^[1][2]
• John Coffey in the serialized Stephen King novel The Green Mile (1996), later a 1999 film (played by Michael Clarke Duncan) ^[1][4][5][6]
• Cash (Don Cheadle) in the film The Family Man (2000) ^[1][2][5]
• Bagger Vance (Will Smith) in the film The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) ^[1][2][4][5]

Note that black characters with apparent supernatural powers who are portrayed as independent, 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 (Laurence Fishburne) in the Matrix series, and Storm (Halle Berry) in the X-Men—are not usually considered weakened magical negroes, nor are helpful non-white characters without some magical or fantastical element.

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 magic negro may also include non-white protagonists who continue to be teamed up with a white hero as well. The concern is that the magic 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.

For these reasons, a black actor performing as God in a film (like Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty) is not generally considered an example of the magical negro archetype, although one commentator does.^[1] Since God is not a fictional character created by the author, and has neither race nor gender, a Latino or a woman could also be selected to perform the role, like Alanis Morissette in Dogma (although another commentator asserts that, "Chris Rock’s Thirteenth Apostle in Dogma is one example."^[5])

• Ethnic stereotypes in popular culture
• Media and ethnicity