Why I’m not making a video about John Mayer.
Pop Life and Race Matters
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from the makers of Ill Doctrine
Why I’m not making a video about John Mayer.
Previous post: To Live and Work So Hard
Next post: i am accused of tending to the past
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I support you in your ignoring. I can’t hear you, John Mayer!
On point as usual, Jay. I spend much of my time in anti-racist work in the classroom doing my best to get students to stop thinking about racism as (only) an attitude and start thinking about it as an outcome- or the system that produces the outcome. We’re still a long way from that paradigm shift, but this video will reach a lot of folk and help move that process along- so props to you.
Looking forward to more videos, sir.
The most relevant YouTube vid i’ve seen this year. Peace Jay Smooth!
Whew, I thought you were through vlogging. I hope that I to will someday become famous enough to be qouted saying one of my infamous stupid remarks that gets blown so out of proportion that you make a video about me. Yes, I have a dream.
You say in the beginning of your video that too often the issues of race are problematically boiled down to a Black vs. White issue…and then you go on to indentify the important questions of race revolving around the structural and institutional inequality of the black community. Contradiction? Or examples of racial inequality affecting other communities didn’t come to mind?
…I would love to hear what you have to say about how homology of racial struggle is continually framed as an antagonism between black and white, even when we know better…
p.s. and please don’t stop vlogging, you provide too much joy and important critical relief for all of us…seriously!
No that was intentional, not an oversight.
I picked specific examples involving Black people because the video is in response to John Mayer’s comments about Black people, so I was illustrating how there may be bigger issues facing Black people than what John Mayer said about them. But I also thought it important to note that although *this* conversation *is* essentialy a Black/White one, every race convo is not, and the general principles I’m trying to articulate are IMO widely applicable even beyond race as a whole (a twitter friend already pointed out how apropos it is for her work with the disabled)
The evidence suggests that you knocked John Mayer right off the Twitter. Well-played.
More seriously, glad to see you’re starting something new; your videos have done a great deal to inform my own evolving understanding of privilege and systemic oppression. I’m grateful for that and I look forward to more.
Also, I have that sweater.
yo jay great video man. been watchin your posts for a couple years now and i gotta tell you dude like on the real you keep me motivated and inspired. I know you haven’t been postin too often recently and I was wondering if there’s some other site you’ve been updating at or if youve been doin any radio shows that are on the internet or anythin? can never have too much jay smooth knowledge in your life! let me know man.
I never cared about John Mayer (never been a fan, personally or musically). It would be too easy for me to say, “Well, I didn’t want him anyway and I never bought his music” and go on about my business. But it would be TOO dismissive, I think. Not of John Mayer, but of the bigger issues at hand. So I agree with you – I think a more productive way to approach it is to take John Mayer out of it and look at what, systemically, is behind such remarks and others like them. He’s not the first person to get caught out there – he’s not even the first person this month – and won’t be the last, and if you parse specific comments too much you don’t get anywhere.
I’m a new fan and really love your work – it’s intelligent and manages to be playful and serious at the same time. I look forward to more!
First of all, I love your blogs. I appreciate what you are saying here, but I worry that some of your statements are a bit dismissive to those who see Mayer’s and others’ statements as problematic and worthy of being addressed. Our society openly accepts people making racist statements about their sexual preferences, particularly when those preferences exclude black women. This is hurtful and harmful to black women, and just because it isn’t structural or institutional in nature doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be addressed.It also connects with greater issues of how black women are affected by the intersections of racism, sexism, and, often classism. In the words of a friend of mine in response to your post, some of us can walk and chew gum at the same time. Your post may apply to some who are reacting to Mayer on a visceral level (not to say that its a bad thing, but that’s another discussion)but there are many folk who deal with, as you mentioned, policy issues AND pop culture issues (myself included).
We have to be careful about letting “noise” get us sidetracked from more important issues that you pointed out so clearly! Well done! Well done!
Love your videos, every one of them, including this one.
In response to some of the things you said in this video, I got a quote for you from a woman we both probably admire a great deal:
“Whether we’re talking about race, gender, or class, popular culture is where the pedagogy is.” – bell hooks
Totally agree man. I talk up the institutionalized aspect of race til I’m blue in the face. It’s like screaming at a wall. You’re right that we shouldn’t get so caught up in the small fry stuff when there’s real problems effecting the black community on the daily, but stupid behavior deserves chastising just the same.
Yes, his white privilege is a wonderland (best line of 2010 thus far…). As is his sexism. I was as disturbed by his “white supremacist,” racist remarks as I was by his disgustingly sexist tirade. But it’s so hard to ignore him. It’s like a gaper’s block near a car wreck: you can’t stop yourself from looking at the carnage.
I was a fan of the man. Was.
Glad to know you’re still vlogging away, sir; your commentaries are among the best written, most cogent on the web.
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Food for thought. I am grateful to you for that, however I also want to thank for something else. I suffer from color blindness (protanopia in my case). I mainly use Konqueror browser (no idea if that is of any importance), and a good few internet sites are hard to understand as a result of a problematic variety of colors employed ithe design. On this site, as the range of colors is good, the design is very tidy and simple to read. I don’t know if this was a intentional and kind undertaking, or simply a lucky break, but you have my gratitude.
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I like the first point you made there, but I am not sure I could reasonably apply that in a contructive way.
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I saw this article bookmarked and truly liked what I read. will definately bookmark it as well and read your other posts tomorrow.
I know your secret too! I look at commenting in this way – since I’m relatively new to blogging, I always thought from the beginning that it was a two-way medium, where someone is starting a conversation that invites interaction, so I picked up the habit right away. In contrast, I’d think if some folks never commented when they first ventured into the blogosphere, it would be more difficult to jump in down the road (i.e. not a habit). Nevertheless, I agree with you on your last statement
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We have to be careful about letting “noise” get us sidetracked from more important issues that you pointed out so clearly! Well done! Well done!
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