Why A Magical Negro is The Last Thing Most Black People Want to Be

In these "magical negro” stories, Black people are treated as narrative instruments in a way that's ultimately dehumanizing. For instance, when Dick Hallorann, played by Scatman Crothers, took on such a role in the 1980 movie, The Shining, he had the power to see the future, something he <a href="https://theshining.fandom.com/wiki/Dick_Hallorann" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">inherited</a> from his grandmother. Even before the main character, played by Jack Nicholson, began behaving violently, Hallorann, <a href="https://theshining.fandom.com/wiki/Dick_Hallorann" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">a cook</a> at the Overlook Hotel, started having premonitions that Jack would try to kill his family. However, as <a href="https://andscape.com/contributors/soraya-mcdonald/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Soraya Nadia McDonald</a>, a senior culture critic for Andscape, suggested, "shining" was really another way of saying "psychic old Negro telekinesis." Hallorann cryptically described it: "Some places are like people; some shine and some don't." Instead of Hallorann seeking safety, he tried to mitigate the domestic violence he foresaw. He was repaid by becoming a victim himself, as the White protagonist axed him in the chest, killing him. This film shows what horrors await when a "magical negro” character fails to help the White protagonist. <a href="https://medium.com/afrosapiophile/why-a-magical-negro-is-the-last-thing-most-black-people-want-to-be-1fc7eee4be89">Visit Now</a>