John "You Can Take Your Apology and Shove it Up Your" Mayer
Folks, a racial "crisis" occurred on Twitter today and in case you've been held up under a mound of snow like most of the Northeast, there's a pretty good chance that you missed it. No problem. Let's take a minute and allow Huffington Post to explain the details:The Headline Reads: John Mayer Apologizes: I Was 'Arrogant' To Use N-Word
John Mayer took to Twitter to apologize for using the N-word in an interview with Playboy magazine.
In the interview, in which he talks about his great sex with Jessica Simpson, he also used the racial epithet. The whole section of the interview is at the bottom, so scroll down to read it.
Over three Tweets Wednesday afternoon Mayer wrote:
Re: using the 'N word' in an interview: I am sorry that I used the word. And it's such a shame that I did because the point I was trying to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself. It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualize using it, because I realize that there's no intellectualizing a word that is so emotionally charged.
Below is the whole race exchange, bolding ours. He did not say anything on Twitter about his David Duke cock, but Jessica tweeted, "interesting day so far...hmm."
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."
So here's where my point of view comes into play. Feel free to take it or leave it but, quite frankly, I don't give a shit about Mayer or his apology and here's why:
1. He spoke his truth. Although he proved that his thoughts are mostly in line with a 12yr old boy, he's grown and should take accountability and stand by these thoughts. Drunk or not, he spoke what was REALLY in his heart. Now I recognize that he was probably trying to be an edgy intellectual but clearly this is why artists shouldn't be looked at as leaders.
2. Mayer's standard of beauty does not validate me as a black woman. There are currently 6 billion people in this world and I'll be damned if I concern myself with whether or not Mayers' "David Duke" cock has finally gained interest in the pleasure boxes of the Halle Berrys' and Kerry Washingtons' of the world.
3. His usage of the word 'nigger' should be of NO SURPRISE. Whether you approve of its usage or not, this word and all its derivatives (nigga, nig, ninja, etc.) will NOT be abolished. Yes, the word 'nigger' was used to hurt and demean black pride, but if you think for one second that NOT using this one word is going to cure all the ills of the black man and woman's plight in this world then you're sadly mistaken. Just like it's a pie-in-the-sky dream that all forms of racism will be abolished. So let's keep it real, it's hypocritical to even call Mayer to the mat for using this word. He was only doing what so many before him have done - he exercised his right to assimilate. And if you take him to task, then you'd have to take all of hip-hop and every person who 'gassed him up' to think he had a 'hood pass'. (Sidebar: I'm actually MORE curious to hear the responses from the various black celebrities that have supported Mayer up until this point. Media outlets, let's get a few quotes from Jay-Z or Holly, Kerry, Halle, or hell, Oprah? Stat.)
In the end, all of this is just a moot point. I mean, let us not forget that this conversation has occurred before regarding hip-hop's influence, the n-word, respect, blah blah blah and nothing's changed since....
That's my two and a half cents on a situation that will definitely repeat itself with another self-absorbed, privileged, "hood-pass" carrying celebrity. Truthfully, everyone has a right to show their asses in public, I just wish Mayer would've bypassed the PR campaign and held firm to his.
For an additional viewpoint from a man that speaks my language, go here.
For Mayer's FULL interview with Playboy, go here
john mayer
race relations
racism
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posted by Soulfull @ 2/10/2010 
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