John Mayer Criticized For Remarks About Black Women

By: Janine Coveney

Singer songwriter John Mayer has come under fire for his remarks about African-American women in a new Playboy Magazine interview. Asked if black women threw themselves at the "Waiting On The World To Change" singer, Mayer responded: "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 fu**in'David Duke c**k. I'm going to start dating separately from my d**k . . . I always thought Holly Robinson Peete was gorgeous. Every white dude loved Hilary actress Karyn Parsons 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***. Whatever.'"

He also brought up the fact that someone recently asked him if he had a "hood pass." He explained, "It's sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a n----r pass." He adds, "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.'"

Mayer Offers Tweet Apology:

After getting wind of the controversy, Mayer posted a series of Tweets on Wednesday (February 10th) apologizing for using the N-word and being so candid in the interviews, but not about insulting black women. "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 to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself," he posted. "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.

"And while I'm using today for looking at myself under harsh light," he continued. "I think it's time to stop trying to be so raw in interviews. It started as an attempt to not let the waves of criticism get to me, but it's gotten out of hand and I've created somewhat of a monster. I wanted to be a blues guitar player. And a singer. And a songwriter. Not a shock jock. I don't have the stomach for it.

"Again, because I don't want anyone to think I'm equivocating: I should have never said the word and I will never say it again."

Reaction To His Comments:

Katheryn Russell-Brown, director of the Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations at the University of Florida, tells UsMagazine.com that Mayer seems to be saying "black women are not just not his type, they're not in his class. They're beneath him."

Laurie L. Mulvey, co-director of the Race Relations Project at Penn State University, says, "Both white people and people of color will be offended by Mayer commenting so flippantly about an issue that has caused so much pain in this culture, especially to black women."


HIP-HOP R&B POP ROCK TOP MUSIC	John Mayer Criticized For Remarks About Black Women John Mayer Criticized For Remarks About Black Women By: Janine Coveney Singer songwriter John Mayer has come under fire for his remarks about African-American women in a new Playboy Magazine interview. Asked if black women threw themselves at the "Waiting On The World To Change" singer, Mayer responded: "I don't think I open myself to it. My dk is sort of like a white supremacist. I've got a Benetton heart and a fuin'David Duke ck. I'm going to start dating separately from my dk . . . I always thought Holly Robinson Peete was gorgeous. Every white dude loved Hilary actress Karyn Parsons 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***. Whatever.'" He also brought up the fact that someone recently asked him if he had a "hood pass." He explained, "It's sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a n----r pass." He adds, "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.'" Mayer Offers Tweet Apology: After getting wind of the controversy, Mayer posted a series of Tweets on Wednesday (February 10th) apologizing for using the N-word and being so candid in the interviews, but not about insulting black women. "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 to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself," he posted. "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. "And while I'm using today for looking at myself under harsh light," he continued. "I think it's time to stop trying to be so raw in interviews. It started as an attempt to not let the waves of criticism get to me, but it's gotten out of hand and I've created somewhat of a monster. I wanted to be a blues guitar player. And a singer. And a songwriter. Not a shock jock. I don't have the stomach for it. "Again, because I don't want anyone to think I'm equivocating: I should have never said the word and I will never say it again." Reaction To His Comments: Katheryn Russell-Brown, director of the Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations at the University of Florida, tells UsMagazine.com that Mayer seems to be saying "black women are not just not his type, they're not in his class. They're beneath him." Laurie L. Mulvey, co-director of the Race Relations Project at Penn State University, says, "Both white people and people of color will be offended by Mayer commenting so flippantly about an issue that has caused so much pain in this culture, especially to black women."