The Repulbican party in the US in in the midst of an election, to elect a chairman to their National Committee. One of the candidates, Chip Saltsman, has been circulating a CD with the song "Barack The Magic Negro", a parody of "Puff the Magic Dragon" of Peter Paul and Mary fame. Its nothing new, Conservative icon Rush Limbaugh has been playing it on his show since March of 2008.
It's a tasteless parody with a white man singing and impersonating Al Sharpton. Sharpton is a black Baptist minister, a social activist and a former presidential candidate himself. Some are calling it a simple case of satire, and that it shouldn't be taken seriously. They're wrong!
I'm no idealist, I know that things like racism and intolerance are never going to be completely eradicated, not here and certainly not in the US. But that an icon of the Conservative movement, Rush Limbaugh, would give play to this kind of small minded racist drivel, it tells me we still have a long way to go...a very long way. And that an individual vying to be chairman of the Republican National Committee would distribute it, that is just utterly indefensible.
I can't believe this went under the radar for so long. This song was given zero atttention as Americans were fixated with Jeremiah Wright's "God Damn America" sermon, where the pastor has the temerity to take the United States to task over its treatment of American citizens of colour. Meanwhile this type of racist garbage is being aired and listened to by countless members of the American Conservative movement.
Liberal minded people in the US and elsewhere can no longer afford to be bullied by the likes of Limbaugh and other Conservative mouthpieces.
We need to get angry and combat this kind of garbage.
I welcome your comments and read them all. If you think this piece would be of interest to anyone pass it along via email or through a social network like FaceBook, just click on the ‘Share This’ icon below.
It's a tasteless parody with a white man singing and impersonating Al Sharpton. Sharpton is a black Baptist minister, a social activist and a former presidential candidate himself. Some are calling it a simple case of satire, and that it shouldn't be taken seriously. They're wrong!
I'm no idealist, I know that things like racism and intolerance are never going to be completely eradicated, not here and certainly not in the US. But that an icon of the Conservative movement, Rush Limbaugh, would give play to this kind of small minded racist drivel, it tells me we still have a long way to go...a very long way. And that an individual vying to be chairman of the Republican National Committee would distribute it, that is just utterly indefensible.
I can't believe this went under the radar for so long. This song was given zero atttention as Americans were fixated with Jeremiah Wright's "God Damn America" sermon, where the pastor has the temerity to take the United States to task over its treatment of American citizens of colour. Meanwhile this type of racist garbage is being aired and listened to by countless members of the American Conservative movement.
Liberal minded people in the US and elsewhere can no longer afford to be bullied by the likes of Limbaugh and other Conservative mouthpieces.
We need to get angry and combat this kind of garbage.
I welcome your comments and read them all. If you think this piece would be of interest to anyone pass it along via email or through a social network like FaceBook, just click on the ‘Share This’ icon below.
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