Okay...so maybe I'm late. But I had to really read through this and process exactly what I was reading. Now...John Mayer. I'll admit. Never really been a fan of his music, but only because I never listened. I heard snippets of "Your Body is a Wonderland" and was less than intrigued. But I felt as though he must be cool because he was on Dave Chappelle. You remember. The episode about how Whites, Blacks and Latinos respond differently to music. Genius Dave. But John Mayer is an early front runner for Ed Lover's 2010 "C'mon Son" of the Year award.
He's been relatively low on my radar. He's only been widely publicized for his romantic relationships with Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson. I guess the aforementioned gave him the credibility to be interviewed by playboy. I wonder if Hef and the remaining Girls Next Door knew his comments would inevitably start a shit-storm that would stir the black community into an uproar. His comments were more than colorful, and I'm not being glib. He gave his outlook on dating Black Women by likening his penis to a White Supremacist and delved into the definition of a true "hood pass" I think some of the highlights include:
"I don't think I open myself to it," Mayer said of dating black women. "My d--- is sort of like a white supremacist. I've got a Benetton heart and a f-----' David Duke c---. I'm going to start dating separately from my d---."
when asked about why Black people love him he had this to say:
"Someone asked me the other day, 'What does it feel like now to have a 'hood pass?' " he told Playboy. "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 n---a 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.' "
Wow...
I bet John wishes he had Kanye to interrupt him. That would be the only thing to save his career right now. I'm surprised Mayer hasn't had the NAACP knock on his door and ask for his "White Supremacist" in a guillotine. Such racism shouldn't be allowed to pro-create. What's scary is that Mayer more than likely didn't think he was being racist. But true racists rarely think they are. Let's be clear, I don't think he's a bigot, but he's no where near as enlightened as he or his Twitter followers would like to think he is. Few white people have a true hood pass. Bill Clinton, Eminem, David Beckham, Mark Ecko, Justin Timberlake and Amber Rose to name a few. Even they know the best hood passes are always probationary. Let's be clear. If any of these infamous White men or women with "soul" were to step out of line? They're done.
But that wouldn't happen. To keep a hood pass you have to be ever-vigilant. The one way to stay in a black person's good graces is to point out the oppression we face, or to poke fun at your own whiteness or white people in general (I'm only half kidding here). But to ever liken yourself to stereotypical loves of African Americans, (i.e. I love fried chicken and greens!) or to talk jive, ebonics and shizzle-language, all you're doing is perpetuating the minstrel show we've been trying to escape since black-face was prevalent.
Even Robert Downy Jr. knows better than that. I think in his heart of hearts John was trying to come off as a new-age exception to the rule, kind of like a pop version of Marshall Mathers, but instead he came off looking more irreverent than Micheal Rappaport playing Mr. Dumwitty in Bamboozled.
And just when you thought he couldn't be any more offensive to anyone; he throws gays under the bus as well. I don't know if he was trying to come off as being the opposite of homophobic or if he was just high beyond belief when he gave this interview, but his response had a lot to do with him addressing his ongoing feud with fellow blogger to the stars Perez Hilton.
"I remember seeing Perez Hilton flitting about this club and acting as though he had just invented homosexuality," he said. "All of a sudden I thought, I can out-gay this guy right now. I grabbed him and gave him the dirtiest, tongue-iest kiss I have ever put on anybody — almost as if I hated f--s."
It's ridiculous. Especially since the last two dashes are in place of an 'a' and a 'g'.
So John Mayer is cool! He's a bad-ass who sleeps with women men only dream about and hangs out with comic geniuses like Dave Chappelle. His ghetto pass, excuse me hood pass is valid because black people love him, and he's not afraid to out-gay his staunchest rival because no one has a monopoly on homosexuality. How ignorant is this dude? I'd gag if his Twitter apology wasn't so insincere. And people said Chris Brown's taped apology was for P.R. purposes? Please. Put Mr. Mayer in the same category with Micheal Richards, Dog the Bounty Hunter and Don Imus. So much for a post-racial society. SMH
Even if John has close black or gay friends that he makes these comments around and they regard them as "funny but true"...his publicist forgot to give him the one piece of advice necessary to maintain a friendship of trust and respect that crosses the boundaries of race, gender, sexual orientation and any associative sub-culture...never in mixed company.
If he's ever forgiven, guess he'll have to stick to White people dancing. I'd venture to say his "hood pass" has been eternally revoked.
