Opinion: In Defense of John Mayer and His Playboy Comments

John Mayer’s use of the N-word (I will continue to say N-word, due to my TOS with Google Adwords), as well as his other quotes in Playboy are being chopped up by the media to sound much worse than they are. There is no context anymore, just naughty words thrown around like a tasty bowl of Alpha Bits.

Take the original quote where he used the N-word. He went on to say, “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.’” So what he’s saying is that even though he seems to be accepted by Black folk, he will never know what its like to be one because he doesn’t suffer the same racism.  Only if he did suffer the same racism could he call it an N-word Pass instead of a hood pass.

This doesn’t excuse the use of a word that contains as much negative impact (500 years worth) as the N-word, but at least he understands that there is a difference between the Black and White Experience that no “hood pass” can circumvent. He wasn’t being edgy, he was being honest.

Why is anyone surprised at what John Mayer said? He loves being edgy. Like every other Jewish guy from New York (now I’m being edgy, He’s from Connecticut and only half Jewish), he thinks that’s he’s a stand up comic. And you know what? He’s a funny guy.

This is a guy who said in the Playboy interview “ . . . I’ve got a Benetton heart and a fuckin’ David Duke cock,” when talking about why he isn’t attracted to black women. It’s the same guy who dressed up in Borat’s nut catapult bathing suit. Very nice, high five.

One thing about John Mayer, he loves talking about race and his penis. Take this quote from a Rolling Stone interview from 2006: “I'm not worried about how small my penis is — I'm worried about how dark it is. I have a Dominican penis. My penis hit six home runs last year; my penis wears shoes without socks.” Sensitive or not, that is just funny. It he was a comedian instead of a slightly effeminate musician, people would have loved it.
Yes, John Mayer said some stuff that was insensitive, but that doesn’t make him a racist. If anything it proves that people can‘t deal with entertainers stepping out of their comfort zones. They like their singers to sing and their comics to . . . Um . .. Com?

And isn’t Mayer sensitive enough in his music already?

Keep up with all the latest in Roots and Rock by joining our Facebook page Highway 9 Music News.  We don't wear Borat nut slings, at least not in public.