John Mayer and 'racist' remarks

[hongi]

These comments have ignited a firestorm:

PLAYBOY: If you didn't know you, would you think you're a douche bag?

MAYER: It depends on what I picked up. My two biggest hits are "Your Body Is a Wonderland" and "Daughters." If you think those songs are pandering, then you’ll think I’m a douche bag. It's like I come on very strong. I am a very...I'm just very. V-E-R-Y. And if you can't handle very, then I'm a douche bag. But I think the world needs a little very. That’s why black people love me.

PLAYBOY: Because you're very?

MAYER: Someone asked me the other day, "What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?" And by the way, it's sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass. Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a hood pass if you really have a hood pass? But I said, "I can’t really have a hood pass. I've never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, 'We're full.'"

PLAYBOY: It is true; a lot of rappers love you. You recorded with Common and Kanye West, played live with Jay-Z.

MAYER: What is being black? It’s making the most of your life, not taking a single moment for granted. Taking something that’s seen as a struggle and making it work for you, or you'll die inside. Not to say that my struggle is like the collective struggle of black America. But maybe my struggle is similar to one black dude's.

PLAYBOY: Do black women throw themselves at you?

MAYER: I don't think I open myself to it. My dick is sort of like a white supremacist. I've got a Benetton heart and a fuckin' David Duke cock. I'm going to start dating separately from my dick.

PLAYBOY: Let's put some names out there. Let's get specific.

MAYER: I always thought Holly Robinson Peete was gorgeous. Every white dude loved Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And Kerry Washington. She's superhot, and she's also white-girl crazy. Kerry Washington would break your heart like a white girl. Just all of a sudden she'd be like, "Yeah, I sucked his dick. Whatever." And you'd be like, "What? We weren't talking about that." That's what "Heartbreak Warfare" is all about, when a girl uses jealousy as a tactic.

Google the frenzied reaction if you want.

Yes he's an arrogant prick who claims to know what it is to be black, but come on people. It's hardly racist to use the 'n' word, especially in the context of what he's saying. What he basically said was that if he was black or in with the black community enough, he could use the 'n' word, but he isn't, so that's that.

[Superboy]

It is kind of funny that he used the n word to explain why he can't use the n word.

[ArmorPierce]

What I'm trying to get is what he meant by this comment 'My dick is sort of like a white supremacist.'

[Gandalf]

What I'm trying to get is what he meant by this comment 'My dick is sort of like a white supremacist.'

Apparently, he loves people of all races but he only sleeps with white women.

[wolveraptor]

Jay-Z, Common, and Kanye are about as hood as a log cabin, and recording with them actually makes you less hood, if anything. Seriously, it's college kids that come out in droves to hear Jay rap about his money, Common be all positive and uplifting (and boring), and Kanye whine about everything.

[ArmorPierce]

What I'm trying to get is what he meant by this comment 'My dick is sort of like a white supremacist.'

Apparently, he loves people of all races but he only sleeps with white women.

If he is generally not attracted to black women, that is by definition racist. Not terrible if that's as far as his racism goes though.

[Darth Wong]

MAYER: It depends on what I picked up. My two biggest hits are "Your Body Is a Wonderland" and "Daughters." If you think those songs are pandering, then you'll think I'm a douche bag. It's like I come on very strong. I am a very...I'm just very. V-E-R-Y. And if you can't handle very, then I'm a douche bag. But I think the world needs a little very. That's why black people love me.

I'm not sure this is racist, but it definitely sounds fucking stupid.

PLAYBOY: Because you're very?

MAYER: Someone asked me the other day, "What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?" And by the way, it's sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass. Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a hood pass if you really have a hood pass? But I said, "I can't really have a hood pass. I've never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, 'We're full.'"

PLAYBOY: It is true; a lot of rappers love you. You recorded with Common and Kanye West, played live with Jay-Z.

MAYER: What is being black? It's making the most of your life, not taking a single moment for granted. Taking something that's seen as a struggle and making it work for you, or you'll die inside. Not to say that my struggle is like the collective struggle of black America. But maybe my struggle is similar to one black dude's.

PLAYBOY: Do black women throw themselves at you?

MAYER: I don't think I open myself to it. My dick is sort of like a white supremacist. I've got a Benetton heart and a fuckin' David Duke cock. I'm going to start dating separately from my dick.

PLAYBOY: Let's put some names out there. Let's get specific.

MAYER: I always thought Holly Robinson Peete was gorgeous. Every white dude loved Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And Kerry Washington. She's superhot, and she's also white-girl crazy. Kerry Washington would break your heart like a white girl. Just all of a sudden she'd be like, "Yeah, I sucked his dick. Whatever." And you'd be like, "What? We weren't talking about that." That's what "Heartbreak Warfare" is all about, when a girl uses jealousy as a tactic.

Want to know what's really racist? The widespread notion (promoted at least as much among blacks as it is among whites) that part of being "black" is using horribly mangled English, sounding like an idiot, and treating social victimization as a badge of honour. That's what I hate about interviews like this.

Yes, minorities will point out that they understand victimization better than whites if they're in a debate about racism, because it's actually relevant in that case; it is another way of saying that you have directly experienced a phenomenon that, in many cases, the other person is downplaying due to lack of having experienced it himself. But that's different from acting as if it's something to be proud of, which is what this "hood pass" bullshit makes me think of.

PS. That bit about how he is a white supremacist about women is also pretty racist.

[Vympel]

Woah fuck yeah. I mean, its not racist to simply not be attracted to black women, but to put it in those terms ....

At least, I think thats the intent behind what he's saying?

[UnderAGreySky]

Is it just me or does he sound like he was doing some serious drugs out there? Because that interview rambles in an almost *impressive* manner!

[SirNitram]

Woah fuck yeah. I mean, its not racist to simply not be attracted to black women, but to put it in those terms ....

At least, I think thats the intent behind what he's saying?

I shared classes with this guy for a year. 'Intent' requires having some concept of what any of these things mean. This is more gross stupidity coupled with growing up in the suburbs of Norwalk. Vis a vis, you might get along great with asians, growing up with them, but it's entirely possible to go years without seeing a black person.