Screaming Penguin - Source Does Matter

Really interesting article in the Washington Post discussing the role of the "Magic Negro" in films.
Frankly, this is one of those things I have noticed for years, but didn't realize there was a label for. I found some of their examples, though, to be slightly flawed. Morpheus in the less-than-spectacular outting in the new Matrix film I think has a much more developed character than the wooden and emotionally inept Neo. While "The Green Mile" is held up as a prime example, I have to say, I did love that movie personally.
I know some people who know me are going to hate me for saying this, but this makes me think of one of my personal favorite TV programs, Star Trek DS9. While Avery Brooks' character does have a certain mystisism associated with him, he is also the center of the show and the point of character development. It still stands out in my mind as one of the few "White People" programs where the central charcter was a black man and the familial and romantic relationships are generally presented with African-American actors.
I still have to wonder, though. And lets take the horrifically medocre film "The Family Man", which features Nick Cage and Don Cheatle -- two of my favorite actors. What would the reaction be, though, if this were a story about a black man given the opportunity to reject his wife and children but is coaxed to the 'right' choice by a moral-center white guy? I think it's safe to say that would not have played well with many people.

I truly feel that white people are more comfortable with black people telling them what to do when they are cast in a magical role. They can't seem to process the information in any other way.

I shudder to think that is is part of the Hollywood scripting equation. I think it's safe to say, though, that many black people are turning up in "Chorus" roles in "white" films now, though. They are necessaryly mystical, but they represent the common-sense base. Like it or not, the fact that many people associate black skin with poverty leads to black actors filling many of our "Anyman" or "Faceless Masses" characters.
Random interjection: You know, I would love to see a portrayal of a black laywer in a film that isn't a Jonny Cochrane morally-flexible slickster sometime in the next 5 years.