It really is a racist expression. I grew up watching many movies from the 30s and 40s (and I'm not that old). Black men were almost always depicted as frightened simpletons. The agenda of the time was that blacks were not to be treated seriously. A serious black character (especially a black man) would have been too threatening. That is how things were for many years. The fact that some rock band that no one has heard of used a stereotypical expression in a song no one remembers means nothing.
LOL! Apparently it does, I have never heard the expression in any other context except Lowell George's, and Im approaching 40. This article is a "lets see what I can find to offend me today so I can be outraged" effort. Im just surprised to see so many falling for it..
I agree with you. A prime example of that type of casting can be found in old Shirly Temple movies. I forget the name of the man and woman but a black couple is talking and spelling words so Shirly can't hear and they mispell them badly. In truth both of the actors had college degrees but the best parts they could get were of menials and servants, always subservient to whites( I am white BTW). The blacks of the time had their own movie makers and while they would play in white films and be cast as servants, they would play the main charcters and heros in the black films. It was a racist time, no doubt.