Thursday, Juan Williams and Warren Ballentine joined Fox News host Bill O'Reilly on the O'Reilly Factor to discuss accusations of so-called racist statements being attributed to conservative talk radio star Rush Limbaugh. Towards the end of the debate, Mr. Ballentine, an African American author and talk radio host told Mr. Williams, who is a African American journalist and news analyst:

"You can go back to the porch, Juan. You can go back.  It's OK."

For those who don't understand this particular expression, it refers to a 'Porch Monkey' which is a racial slur dating back to American 17th century colonial times, that originally referred to African American slaves who, when not working, would sit and talk with other slaves on the porch of their plantation homes.

The obvious inference here is that Mr. Ballentine views Mr. Williams as a slave of the Republican Party due to the somewhat Conservative positions he takes on issues.

Mr. Williams apparently drew Mr. Ballentine's egregious statement in this exchange as a result of pointing out that the phrase 'Barack The Magic Negro' was the title of an article written by a black person. Mr. Ballentine seemed to attribute the phrase to Rush Limbaugh stating "He made it a song and played it on his show." and "It is racial to real black people". For the record 'Barack The Magic Negro' is a satirical song written by Paul Shanklin which was played on the Rush Limbaugh Show.

 

Real Black People?

Does that leave out LA Times writer David Ehrenstein who wrote the March 19, 2007 op-ed titled 'Obama the 'Magic Negro'?

 

Mr. Ballentine, known as truthfighter1 on his Twitter page, later bragged about the incident:

"ok howd i do u hear me tell jaun back to the porch lmao"

"is about to watch me on oreily it starts in 60 sec my popcorn is so buttery lol"

"oh make sure u hear my last shot a jaun williams it was a killer if i say so myself lol"

"just recorded bill oreliy man it was heated they may not invite me back lol iam so the truth lol"

 

Sometime later Mr. Ballentine said:

"Boy, they're hitting me up on Twitter, boy.  These white folks...'call Warren Ballentine out! He told Juan Williams to go back to the porch! They're mad those conservatives. ' How dare you get on our negro who is defending us!' Let me tell everybody who is a conservative who is listening to the show right now.  Rush Limbaugh has created a perception of being racially divisive.  I have every right to say that.  Now if you want to take what I said about Juan Williams as racial, you go right ahead.  All I said was he could go back to the porch.  I didn't call him a house negro.  I said he could go back to the porch.  Now if you took it as such, then that means you view him as that."

 

There seems to be a double standard operating here. It seems it is okay for an African American to refer to another African American as a Porch Monkey, House Negro or Uncle Tom, although being a Democrat or Liberal is a prerequisite. My feeling is that it would not be acceptable in the current Politically Correct paradigm if the referrer were to be a Republican or Conservative.

Those terms have been out of popular usage for quite some time now. How ironic that the professed party of tolerance is promoting and abetting a comeback of such malicious discourse.

 

Crossposted at True Lies and False Confessions

 

 

 

 

 

 


Comments
on Oct 17, 2009

Why am I not surprised by this?

Facts be damned, ignorance of the facts be damned ... the narrative is the thing.

on Oct 18, 2009

The interesting point not made is that Juan Williams, a liberal commentator, was pointing out that the quotes attributed to Limbaugh were false, Limbaugh never said them.  He was taking the moral high ground here, not letting ideology get in the way of what is right and what is wrong.  Methinks Mr Williams is beginning to get a little disheartened with the Magic...er...uh...the...uh...Magic African-Hawaiian.

on Oct 18, 2009

I've seen Juan Williams position on many topics and I'd hardly consider him a conservative or a crusader of conservative causes. I would say he is a moderate with liberal tendencies. He is a straight shooter and I respect that. The only thing Warren Ballentine accomplished was to forfeit any credence he stated in his argument. He made a fool of himself, on a cable show that people actually watch. He could have gotten away with it on MSNBC, 2/3 of FOX viewers are independents and liberals. I'm sure he did not score points for the left.

on Oct 18, 2009

a racial slur dating back to American 17th century colonial times, that originally referred to African American slaves who, when not working, would sit and talk with other slaves on the porch of their plantation homes.

while i strongly suspect the term does not date to the 17th century, i don't have time now to fully research it, and i'm far more dubious it had anything to do with slaves chilling on massa's front porch.  slave owners weren't constrained by hour/wage laws so there was no such thing as "off the clock".  had slaves been permitted any "not working" time  (excepting those owned by devout christians who refused to utilize any of their cattle or chattel on sundays so as to be in accord with the third commandment), they would hardly been permitted to chill in groups around the back door--much less under the collonades of ol massa's porch--and slave dwellings had no porches. 

on Oct 18, 2009

For the record 'Barack The Magic Negro' is a satirical song written by Paul Shanklin which was played on the Rush Limbaugh Show.

yeah.  and the 'ballad of pancho lopez' is a parody (as opposed to 'a satirical song') written by lalo guerrero which was played on the dr demento show. 

doesn't make either one any less demeaning. 

Real Black People?

Does that leave out LA Times writer David Ehrenstein who wrote the March 19, 2007 op-ed titled 'Obama the 'Magic Negro'?

ehrenstein is of african-american descent. 

on the other hand, shanklin,  who characterizes himself thusly in 'barack the magic negro':

Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C.
The L.A. Times, they called him that
Cause he’s not authentic like me.

and

See, real black men, like Snoop Dog,
Or me

is as stone cold white as the ace of a mayonaisse on wonder bread sammich.

on Oct 18, 2009

Oddly enough i would have to agree with KingBee on this. The term Porch Monkey does seem to refer to Black people who sat on their porches watching, what could be considered, working people coming and going to work. While the term itself was a term that described a lazy person, regardless of race, it was used often to describe Black people. The only reference i could find about this describing Black slaves chatting on porches whats this link. Considering it's a wiki, I wouldn't take it to much as a fact. But I can't ignore the fact that when it comes to Black people, it's OK to call someone the N word when your Black so I don't see why Ballentine was not refering to a Black slave when saying this to Juan. The only thing more stupider than a racist person is the person who the racism is being projected towards uses these same racial slurs as common words of affection towards their fellow brothers and sisters.

on Oct 18, 2009

What people fail to realize is "Magic Negro" isn't a new term at all.  It is a literary divice refering to a Black supporting character to a white protaganist.  The "magic negro" usually possesses some ability that no one else seems to have.  It is actually very common, used in some of our favorite movies and novels.

Bagger Vance, The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, , Million Dollar Baby, Hello Dolly, Song of the South... etc.

 I think "the magic negro" isn't any worse (or any better) than another devise, "The Great White Hope".... that is the White character that uses their unique powers to save the minorities from their oppressive situation.

 

 

on Oct 18, 2009

and slave dwellings had no porches

Iz zat so?  None?  You surveyed 'em all?  I'm impressed.

As is commonly the case, sadly, you focus on a diversion instead of the point.

on Oct 19, 2009

You surveyed 'em all?

not at all.  fairly sure slave cabins were no better appointed than any of the sharecropper shacks i've seen.

As is commonly the case, sadly, you focus on a diversion instead of the point.

diversion been berry berry good to me.

on Oct 19, 2009

diversion been berry berry good to me

I'll give you that.