A recent Playboy interview with John Mayer reveals why many are labeling him a racist:
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.
Did John Mayer jus say "nigger"? I, for one, am not offended. It was used out of context and moreover, it was in a non-aggressive, educational-like way... But think about those that are way strict about anyone outside of the Black community using the word "nigger", they have a zero-tolerance and would take offense very easily to a statement like this.
Later in the interview he said "I've got a Benetton heart and a fuckin' David Duke cock"... So I looked up the latest on Benetton (a high-class Italian fashion brand known for its very controversial ads on unity) and David Duke (former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan). He saying that while his heart is open and globally accepting, he closes himself to the notion of having sex with a Black woman, identifying himself with a "supreme" class. Im jus like, all you had to say was I dont really like Black chicks... not "my dick likes to plan lynching rallies". But, I think he slightly saves himself with the last line where he admits that he is wrong for feeling the way he does and hints at a "change of heart".
I understand that nowadays people are a lot more forgiving for folks that make slightly racist comments but where do we draw the line? When is kidding only kidding and when is locker-room talk only locker-room talk? And do Black people really love John Mayer? Or do we just like it when Jay-Z puts him on a record?
_roddyJ
02/10/10
