John Mayer drops the N-bomb
CVK
(UPDATE: There are some contrasting accounts of what really happened on that stage. Please read our comments section for links to other blogs that may dispute this.)
Now I have a valid reason to dislike John Mayer (besides his nauseating “your body is a wonderland” song).
Apparently he and Sandra Bernhard are on the same “hipsters like us are beyond race so it’s ok for us to spew racist garbage because it’s like, you know, meta and post-modern and stuff” bandwagon, along with Kill Whitey and Blackface Jesus.
From Gawker:
On Friday night, singer/songwriter John Mayer abandoned his lonely-chick rock persona for a moment and tried his hand at stand-up comedy. The singer went on as a special guest at the Comedy Cellar, where one blogger noted that he seemed “drunk or stoned, maybe both.”
Excellent! Some lessons learned from Mayer on the mic:
1) Women are sluts (If you’re expecting a punchline here…so were we. Didn’t come.)
2) Lots of sluts have “unlocked their Masterlock” for him. Ew.
3) New Yorkers aren’t really bothered much by terrorism. Cause there’s like “Missiles and shit” constantly being launched at us and we’re used to it. Um…right. Might want to quit while you’re behind, John.
4) He lives up on a hill “away from the black people.” (Danger, Will Robinson, danger)
5) If white people were allowed to use the ‘N’ word, he would use it about 1,000 times a day. And yes, Mayer did use the ‘N’ word during his act. Several times.
Rest assured, Mayer still thinks your body is a wonderland — unless you’re black. In which case, your body is the ‘hood.
gatamala wrote:
Now let’s see how many of his black sycophants condemn him or make excuses for his behavior!!
it’s too early for me to deal w/ this…
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 8:07 am ¶
P.Moore wrote:
It seems that the number one rule of thumb for hipster racists is to find one black friend that will legitimate their use of the word ‘nigger’ or jokes about blackness.
Check out this MTV short with Kanye West and John Mayer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuqdcjh36ew
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 8:49 am ¶
hmmm... wrote:
This is why I have a problem with rappers like Ludacris and 50 cent using the N-word in their lyrics. Because they use the word, now everyone thinks its okay to use it. The word is repulsive to me and utterly disrespectful. It connotes so many negative images for me when I hear it used. However, it seems for many people today, the word has lost its historical meaning. It funny, I have never heard Jewish peorson or an Asian “re-claim” a racial slur that was used aginst them, so why do some African-Amercians do it?
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 9:18 am ¶
caroline wrote:
I think that gawker needed to do a better job of ostrasizing Mayer for his comments. Hopefully people will stop buying his records and stations will stop playing his music — because not only is he a racist a-hole, but he’s not even talented!
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 10:10 am ¶
Gandalf Mantooth wrote:
f*****’ hipsters
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 10:39 am ¶
Merq wrote:
caroline:
wishful thinking… i remember thinking that after paris hilton’s racrt comments came to light.
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 11:07 am ¶
eric wrote:
wait… is anyone surprised that a generic white-guy-from-the-burbs-who-doesn’t-actually-know-any-black-people used the n-word ???
You guys must have lived in a different part of the suburbs then I did
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 11:39 am ¶
C wrote:
Well, Sherrod Brown, who was there, says it didn’t quite happen the way it’s being portrayed:
http://www.bestweekever.tv/2006/06/26/bwe-exclusive-sherrod-small-calls-bullst/
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 12:27 pm ¶
Marsha wrote:
I thought I was the only one who thought that John Mayer and his “your body’s a wonderland” song was creepy. All along, I just thought he was an arrogant little f@ck but now he’s racist too…lovely..
Maybe John thinks he’s got the “black pass” after being on “The Dave Chapelle Show” or befriending Kanye West?
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 12:46 pm ¶
brad wrote:
Didn’t Mayer do a blues album with African-American artists? That probably gave him the streetcred to use the word. Right?
WTF? I don’t understand punks like Mayer or Bernhardt who think that they have a right to use any racist terms like this.
I had this discussion with an acquaintance of mine. He’s white and thought it was fine for him to meet his white buddies in a bar and say “What’s up my niggas?” I was stunned. He was shocked that I thought it was wrong of him to use that word.
As someone mentioned, a lot of folks feel powerful saying crapt like this. It makes them feel special and all cool to use such language.
BTW, if I hadn’t said it recently
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 4:05 pm ¶
brad wrote:
Didn’t Mayer do a blues album with African-American artists? That probably gave him the streetcred to use the word. Right?
WTF? I don’t understand punks like Mayer or Bernhardt who think that they have a right to use any racist terms like this.
I had this discussion with an acquaintance of mine. He’s white and thought it was fine for him to meet his white buddies in a bar and say “What’s up my niggas?” I was stunned. He was shocked that I thought it was wrong of him to use that word.
As someone mentioned, a lot of folks feel powerful saying crapt like this. It makes them feel special and all cool to use such language. This phenomenon reminds me of a four year old who learns a bad word and says it over and over because she knows that the word is naughty and will get a reaction.
To answer a question posed earlier, I don’t see any reasonable person telling Mayer that his use of racist terminology was okay. Only closeted or openly or kiss-asses would tell him that it was fine-and-dandy.
Where’s a bar of soap when it’s needed?
BTW, if I hadn’t said it recently: I LOVE MIXED MEDIA WATCH! Seriously, it’s so nice to have a forum where mixed, biracial, multiracials, etc. can talk about this stuff.
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 4:10 pm ¶
Marsha wrote:
Since we are talking about the use of the “n” word, do you know what other word has been bugging me lately? The use of the word “wigger”. Over the past 8 years or so, I’ve heard white people use it to describe a “wannabe”- a white person who tries to appropriate African American styles of dress and music. However, I’ve heard the term used in this context also: 1.) to describe a mixed race (black/white) person; 2.) a white person who is in a relationship (romantic or just friendship) with a black person. The word’s close association with the “n” word and just the fact that it has other connotations makes me cringe whenever I hear it. Why can’t people just use the term “wannabe” rather than using the “w” word?
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 4:29 pm ¶
Ben wrote:
hold up.
first of all the original source (here) does not contain the phrase “several times.” i’ve recommended to gawker that they adjust the quote accordingly, and i make the same recommendation here. this dude is obviously not a mayer fan, and might have retracted some embellishments once he realized this entry’s audience might extend beyond his friends and parents. but i’m not a blogger, i don’t know what the rules are.
secondly, i agree with “hmmm…” in deploring ANY use of the n-word, particularly those who would be offended if it were repeated back to them by someone of a different skin color. i’ve never heard a white person say the n-word except when they were quoting a rapper (except that stupid dad on black/white), and according to sherrod brown’s account (thanks, C!), john mayer was quoting as well. and the only people who drop the n-bomb more than black rappers are… black comedians!
if he was actually “spewing racist garbage,” that’s one thing. but this seems like a mild overstepping of a pretty vague boundary, as reported by one random blogger who has already changed part of his account.
Posted 28 Jun 2006 at 7:05 pm ¶
Sarah May wrote:
Not Funny.
Posted 29 Jun 2006 at 2:30 am ¶
site admin wrote:
Interesting finds, C and Ben. I’m going to amend the post to point people to the comments section so they can make up their own minds.
–CVK
Posted 29 Jun 2006 at 5:24 am ¶
Ben H wrote:
Don’t really know anything about Mayer being racist or not so I don’t have an opinion. And I don’t know whether or not he’s a good musician, but ?uestlove sure seems to think so:
http://www.believermag.com/issues/200308/?read=interview_thompson
It’s a great interview in which race does come up, though not in relation to Mayer, so I hope it’s of interest.
Posted 06 Jul 2006 at 5:33 pm ¶
Merq wrote:
While Mayer was a minor, irrelevant item in that article, I must say the whole piece was an EXCELLENT read. Thanks, Ben H. I’d heard about D’Angelo’s insecurities, but I had no idea it was that bad.
Posted 07 Jul 2006 at 1:47 pm ¶
rainshiny day wrote:
the word wannabe is no less offensive than wigger. to want to be something is to imply stereotypes, certainly. there are many people that fully immerse themselves in other cultures to which they are attracted for a myriad of reasons. we should encourage exploration of each other’s differences and similarities, not label such negatively, whatever word is used.
Posted 31 Aug 2006 at 12:15 pm ¶