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I still like John Mayer, tweet about that!

News Editor

Published: Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Updated: Wednesday, February 17, 2010

One of latest stories that have  come out involving celebrities is about John Mayer and his interview with Playboy Magazine. Let me preface this by stating I am a John Mayer fan, have all the albums, listen to his music on a regular basis, have seen him in concert once before and have tickets to see him next month.

After the word got out of his ‘ranting’ and people starting tweeting about him, many deemed him a white supremacist or racist because of his words.

With any argument that happens, whether the pro or con side, it is compulsory to find out the facts.

From what I have heard and read from many people about the interview is not true. The interview spread like a game of telephone, each person adding something new and missing entirely what he said. Let’s review what his words were according to the official transcript on Playboy.com.

When asked if people thought he was a “douche bag”, Mayer described himself as very. That’s it. Just “very.” Adding to that he said, “But I think the world needs a little very. That’s why black people love me.”

In prompting him to explain his term ‘very’, the interviewer asked, “Because you’re very?” Then Mayer went on to explain a previous conversation where someone asked him, “What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?”

Pause. This is where it gets sticky.

Mayer continued, “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.’”

Okay. To all those who completely offended, I understand your argument, to an extent. Was it wrong of him to use the N-word? Yes. Do I think he should’ve used it? No. But in no way, have I been convinced that John Mayer is racist by those comments.

I have seen several tweets directed towards me (because my followers I am a fan) that have paraphrased Mayer as saying he does not like black women. Let’s see that the transcript says.

The interviewer asked “Do black women throw themselves at you?” 

Mayer replied saying “I don’t think I open myself to it. My d**k is sort of like a white supremacist. I’ve got a Benetton heart and a f**kin’ David Duke c**k. I’m going to start dating separately from my d**k.”

From that text I can see why people think he does not like black women. However, another reporter at The Register brought up: Would you be mad at a black man for saying he only dates black women? Probably not. So why get upset because a white man said he only likes white women?

Mayer also told the interviewer he thought Holly Robinson Peete was “gorgeous” and describes Kerry Washington as “super hot.”

My problem is not with people being offended, it is with people not understanding, the type of person John Mayer is.

If you have never seen him live or seen an interview- he is extremely sarcastic! I witnessed him say the worst thing that ever happened to human beings is a camera phone. Why would you really take this man seriously in everything he says? It doesn’t make sense.

However, I am, in no way, justifying his words. He was wrong for saying nigger.

If you haven’t followed up with the news after this interview was released, Mayer had since then apologized, using his Twitter,

“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 saying 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.”

After this, during his concert in Nashville, T.N. he broke down and apologized to his fans and band.

I take his apology as sincere and accept it.

If you have chosen not to forgive his mistake and stop listening to his music because of this, I feel sorry for you. You will be missing out.

The bottom line is that I think he produces great music. I refuse to stop listening to the album because the man made a mistake and has since apologized for it.

So Mar. 15 I will still be attending the concert, showing up an hour early and listening to John Mayer, probably for the entire day.

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2 comments Log in to Comment

Myron Phelps
Thu Feb 18 2010 06:12
This is exactly why the white community gets so much accusation for racism. It's not bad enough that every other white man in the media gets to use his white privilege free pass card like David Letterman and Joe Wilson for doing practically the same things as Kanye West and Tiger Woods and not getting even half as bad of a back lash but white males can even get away with racist remarks with deep south redneck pigs defending them everywhere you turn around. You are not doing the white race any favors by sitting around surgarcoating and extenuating John Mayer's racially offensive interview.

The reason nobody would say anything about a black man stating "I only date black women" is because that's not offensive. Now if someone were to ask a black man "do white women hit on you?" And the black man responded "You know what, I'm not attracted to white women. In fact, I'm so unattracted to them that you could group me up with anti-white hate groups that famously lynched nad killed off whites back in the day during the 5 century long era of anti-black cruelties we experienced in this country." HE DIDN'T SAY HE ONLY DATED WITHIN HIS RACE. HE SIDESTEPPED A QUESTION ON WHETHER OR NOT BLACK WOMEN HIT ON HIM TO TELL THE INTERVIEWER THAT HE WASN'T ATTRACTED TO THEM WITH A METAPHOR USING ANTI-BLACK HATE GROUPS. Given the track record of the white race in it's treatment of the black race in this country, IT'S UNACCEPTABLE. YOU AND THE REST OF THESE REDNECK PIGS AND YOUR SURGARCOATING AND DEFENDING RACIALLY OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOR IN YOUR WHITE COMMUNITY REPULSE ME ON SO MANY LEVELS. THIS IS PROOF THAT WE ARE NOT LIVING IN A POST RACIAL ERA.

Michelle B
Wed Feb 17 2010 23:41
I completly agree with you. Just to intesify your point, the comment about him not dating black women...Everyone is so focused on what he's said he's done so far..at the very end of that statement he says '' I'm going to start dating separately of my d**k'....These to me are the words of a man who wants to step outside of his 'normality' and expand his horizons! He made a point to say he's never opened himself up to an interracial 'rendevous' but is thinking about trying it.... My only piece of advice to John Mayer is be careful...Once you go black, you'll never go back!

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