John Mayer Plays Himself in ‘Playboy’ Interview
Had John Mayer casually intimated about his sexual escapades, his cross-over effect with his African-American fans and his preference for white women, he would have saved himself the trouble of taking a genuine apology and making it plain.
But like most celebrities, Mayer confused his unique level of exposure with a unique insight on complex topics like relationships and race; topics that people with far more degrees and far less dexterity on acoustic guitar have yet to master.
I understood what he was saying. Most people who read John Mayer’s interview snippets understood what he was saying. And neither his intended thoughts nor his verbalized jive flew with anyone. But, on the general principle of lamenting and social networking all cultural slights real and perceived, he was lambasted across the web.
And that same general principle revealed a lot about our current state of social affairs. For as much as social networking and instant communication has bridged race and class closer than ever before, when it comes down to an All-American white boy rockstar making sexist and pseudo-racist comments, the bigger deal was his sexism in describing a previous sexual relationship with Jessica Simpson.
Maybe its because of her celebrity status, or maybe its because their relationship was more headline worthy than the fact that black people enjoy Mayer’s music. And far be it from me to say calling a chick “sexual napalm” isn’t as caustic as using the word “nigger.”
But don’t think its that far from me. Granted, sexism and racism have gone hand-in-hand in American culture and music for as long as most folks can remember. And both have reached far and deep into the generational development of millions of Americans. But the last time I checked, sexism hadn’t gapped academic achievement, or created disparities in the penal system. At least not at the rate racism has.
What shocks most people is that a songwriter clever enough to woo millions of fans and appeal to a diverse audience is a bumbling, drug abusing, skirt-chasing, racist. And I don’t think Mayer is a racist in the sense that he would not like his food touched by a black person, or thinks that black people are subservient. I mean a racist in the sense that there’s nothing physically appealing about black women to him.
Just as many people find certain races physically unattractive for one reason or another. It’s racism, but because it’s not of the public variety, because it comes down to where you go, what you say and who you say it to, it’s only as racist as people choose to make it.
And John Mayer, in his affluence and influence, thought it smart to make his known.
I don’t think black people should boycott John Mayer, or think much more into his statements than the release of his inner douchebag. He’s only on record with the way most of us think and feel about sex and race. And if we can responsibly parse his comments and have the courage to draw out of it a different approach to ending the scourges of racism and sexism, wouldn’t America be the wonderland its history makes it out to be?
