I have been following @johncmayer for months now and have been pleasantly surprised by his humor and intrigued by his insight, however after watching the Wendy Williams show and hearing (out of context) some of the things he said made me resent my partiality towards him. Not only did he use the N word, but he said this after being asked if he'd date a black woman:
“I don’t think I open myself to it. My d*ck is sort of like a white supremacist. I’ve got a Benetton heart and a fu*kin’ David Duke c*ck. I’m going to start dating separately from my d*ck. …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 super hot 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 d*ck. Whatever.’”
This above everything else said in the interview upset me the most because try as I might I could not find the clever, witty insight. All I saw was a stereotypical, glaringly unfunny testament of ignorance. Though I know this is not the case, it's hard to defend such a blatant disregard of respect or tact. I know I know he's trying to be biting and edgy, but I just don't see it here.
He has issued a number of apologies about his grand-scaled faux pas and honestly, I believe him. I have, on more occasions than I care to recall, said stupid things I didn't mean in order to get some kind of reaction out of people. It's hard to make a mistake like that when you're a celebrity of his caliber, but I truly believe that's what it was- a mistake.
Here's a link to an apology he made at a concert in Nashville.
And here's something Holly Robinson Pete wrote in her blog about the fiasco, which I think was done very well. She's cool. Not a "mammie" at all! (you'll have to read her post to get that ha)
So...
Dear John,
I think it's time we had a discussion about your flagrant insouciance for other people's feelings when answering questions on interviews. No one knows you except for your friends and family, so when you say inflammatory words like the n word and wax on about liking black woman that act white, and speaking explicitly about past sexual relationships with other celebrities people may get well- angry? Upset. Confused. Really freaking pissed. In lieu of recent events, it's probably best if you are slightly more careful with what you say. Now, keep your chin up! This too shall pass! America has the attention span of a cocker spaniel. Oh and don't worry, your true fans will stick by you.
Best of Luck!
Sincerely,
Chris
p.s.- It also probably doesn't help that it's black history month. Just saying.
(EDIT): p.p.s- You're still a flaming idiot, but people like you say shit like that all the time and get away with it. I will never let you or anyone else dictate how I feel about myself so though your comments are in fact ignorant and bigoted, and you too are most likely a bigot, all I can do is pity you. No harsh feelings. Just good ol' pity.
I'm out.
after reading this, i am inclined to believe this guy is more of an idiot than i originally thought. sorry chris. i listened to the apology and just what you wrote here. i didn't read the entire interview, but the news on it.
ReplyDeleteat best, this guy is ignorant and has never been around anyone but privileged white america. i can't comment on the music, but a jabroni line of thought like that in a national magazine is not a mistake. he is just DUMB. i heard the apology and who cares what he was trying to do? the damage is done. he is seen for the person he is, probably because he was drunk at the playboy mansion and letting the truth juice do its worst.
i am not one to condom someone for how they are portrayed in an interview, but sometimes you have to read between the lines. it makes no difference to me because i don't care for his music and i am not invested in caring abut him, especially after this. but he this isn't just about race. he has little respect for women. you may talk like that in front of your boys, but not for the country to see, even if it is a mens magazine. did he think only men would read it? and no one slips the N word who is white. it is either subconscious or intentional. i should know. i am white.
i grew up in an are of NJ that was very white, mostly Jewish, Irish and Italian. i knew kids that were not haters, but didn't see people outside their community in the same way they saw themselves. uncomfortable with race or sexual preference and even being scared of being called a bigot. i call that the passively ignorant. (see the movie "storytelling")
coming back to John, he is responsible for what he says impacting our youth & culture. you think i want someone like that writing songs that impact the subconscious of america. no thank you. not a high consciousness person anyhow. he strikes me as the kind of dude that would date-rape someone then say it was an obsessed fan. but if you are a fan of the music, does it matter?
here is an article i thought was good: http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/02/17/john-mayer-playboy-lyrics/
hope this isn't too harsh, but this shit makes goofy white dudes look bad.
Though I understand where you're coming from with your comment, I don't believe I am defending him because I "care" about him, I'm defending him because the media is a sleazy system that functions solely to induce conflict in order to make headlines. People say stuff like this ALL THE TIME, and I for one think it got blown out of proportion. Yes, I think he was probably WASTED, and yes, he was probably voicing his true feelings towards women and race, but he's not the only one. I'm not going to let some foul mouthed idiot get me all riled up because he said some senseless, ignorant things. And I absolutely hate the N word, but again it's not unheard of to hear it slip off the tongue of some flaming frat idiot at a party. There are far worse things that have been done to women besides some harsh words by a crazed musician, so I just choose to put my energies elsewhere and not let him get under my skin.
ReplyDeleteI've heard from a semi-personal account that JM is in fact an asshole so I'm not surprised by any of what he said in playboy. He is an idiot. I'm just saying because he's on this insane pedestal does not mean he is perfect or politically correct. He's a human that makes mistakes and he made a HUGE one that cost him lots of fans and respect. People harbor those feelings everyday, but he was foolish enough to let them loose on the world, but he won't be the last to think/say those horrendous things. Again, he's an idiot. A bigot even.
But I really appreciate you expressing your perspective! =)
ReplyDelete