When Carson Is Tapped, You Are Not Racist

Regarding Republicans, "The Magic Negro" refers to the conservative desire to find a black man who holds all the right conservative views but whose skin color will, finally, for real this time, prove to the leftists who hold the keys to Georgetown Dinner Parties that they are not racist. "The Magic Negro" is slightly different in reference to the left, primarily because they don't care about what Republicans think of them. In reference to the left, "The Magic Negro" is a black man who is coherent and capable enough that he can run as the front man and so bludgeon conservatives on their racism and privilege.

Ben Carson was the Magic Negro of 2016, replacing Herman Cain, who in turn had replaced Colin Powell. It's somewhat important to note that the term "Magic Negro" does not inherently marginalize the individual's actual talents, but merely mocks the idea that that talent somehow justifies being made the leader of a national political party. I say inherently because frankly, there are Magic Negros who aren't even particularly good in their supposed area of expertise, but simply are nonthreatening enough and the cuck desperate enough to let even that deficiency slide. Neil Degrasse Tyson is the most current example of the full blown case, and if I had a time machine I'd bet my last Reese's Pieces that George Washington Carver would at the very least be a borderline case.

There are certainly those that think Carson and Cain fall into that camp of being all shuck and jive, and others who acknowledge that the two are indeed Magic Negros but that it is unfair to claim they don't have a very respectable list of core competencies. Pick you poison.

As an aside, my preferred term for Magic Negros in modern parlance is "Google Plus".

So with that out the way - Ben Carson has been tapped to head up HUD. With an understanding of what we mean by Magic Negro, and that - politically, at the very least - Ben Carson is one, here are my thoughts:

1. If anyone could marginalize that Magic Negro card, it's Trump. Trump is rewarding Carson for his loyalty, and while there's probably a good chunk of influence demanding to have a Magic Negro in the cabinet, it's a lot less an influence on Trump as it would be for a cuck. Trump is under no illusions that by choosing Carson he's tapping into a magical force that will neutralize his opponents, nor does he take screams of RACISS seriously.

2. Carson has actually lived in public housing, so I'm counting this as a plus. This isn't always the case - I wouldn't want a guy who had never been employed to be in charge of Labor on the basis that he "knows how tough it can be" (arguments as to whether anyone should be in charge of Labor notwithstanding). But just as I think there should always be a non-lawyer, non-Ivy SCOTUS justice, Having a guy in charge of a department where he had to eat some of the shit handed out by said dept... well, why not give it a whirl?

3. And... not much else. Carson was loyal, is not a lifetime politican and has seen the end-user side of the department, but he lacks any depth in relevant experience and is a danger of being given a pass (by the right) for being a Magic Negro.

I'm giving him a 6/10. If he were white, he'd be seen at best as a smart loyalist who is bland enough to not offend any wing of the party. That he's not a Bushman would give him a +1 with the party base. So 6/10 if white, 6/10 as black.

Personally, I wish HUD would be weaponized to shove diversity down the throats of those who like to virtue signal that America needs more diversity. Section 8 housing at Martha's Vineyard. Subsidized housing to move kebab (before final deportation) from Ohio to San Francisco. Urban Development that moves yahoos into (((homogeneous neighborhoods))). Properly enriching top tier public schools.

But that's probably a step too far for most people right now, so using HUD to repay a Trump loyalist who hopefully is up to the task seems the next best thing.