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Originally Posted by rhoyaltempest
Missed the point as always. Why do WE teach them and in some cases, seek others out to teach???? That is the question.
Other cultures don't share like we do. Read the entire post again and try answering the question again.
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I know I'm late and maybe you all have moved on. Forgive me I did read the end and this was the topic but since starting at the beginning it may have changed.
What you are describing is what we Spike Lee calls the Magic Negro syndrome.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_negro
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The magical negro is typically but not always "in some way outwardly or inwardly disabled, either by discrimination, disability or social constraint," often a janitor or prisoner.[5] He has no past; he simply appears one day to help the white protagonist.[6] He sometimes fits the black stereotype, "prone to criminality and laziness."[7] To counterbalance this, he has some sort of magical power, "rather vaguely defined but not the sort of thing one typically encounters."[6] He is patient and wise, often dispensing various words of wisdom, and is "closer to the earth."[2]
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.[2] Although he has magical powers, his "magic is ostensibly directed toward helping and enlightening a white male character."[5] It is this feature of the magical negro that some people find most troubling. Although from a certain perspective the character may seem to be showing blacks 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."[8]
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We complain about it when we see it on film, but it is actually based on real life. A lot of times you gotta look into the psyche of why somebody does that. Is it that they feel if they teach this, then we will be more accepted by the mainstream? Who knows. At the end of the day the question has to be asked, will said teaching allow them to like me or like my culture and take an interest in my culture?