Is it cheesey? Yes.

A teeny bit sterotypical? Sort of.

Racist? No.

Depictions of bribes are racist?

Also, questionnaire #2.

That man's perspective reminds me of Keep on Truckin'

Put it back on your wall, or the wall of your office.

And yes, I think the painting is sort of racially offensive/overly stereotypical. If it was really done without that intent, then maybe it isn't "intentionally racist", but obviously some of the most problematic racism is subconscious. Think: if this were a painting of a Jew with features that stereotyped, would we even be having this conversation?

If the artist had put a stylized white person in the picture, too, then there'd be no question it wasn't racist. But a stylized, i.e. artistic, portrayal of people who are not white is not racist per se.

If we can't have stylized faces in art without their being racist, or without the artist or owner of the art being racist, then we can't have art and we can't have portrayals of human beings.

(Oh, and, I'm not sure I would want a picture of a plane approaching the twin towers hanging on my wall either. WTF?? Does it hang next to its sister painting of "happy slant-eyed Japanese-Americans blithely enjoying the sight of zeroes circling over Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941"?)

http://z.about.com/d/animatedtv/1/7/c/K/FamilyGuyParty.jpg

I said: Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

The buildings are also stereotypical caricatures, but buildings don't have feelings.

"that painting is racist"
"says you milquetoast!"

BTW, racist connotations are completely subjective.

In other words, justified stereotypes. Reminds me of StuffWhitePeopleLike.com

This is surely the same reason why West Virginians don't vote for Obama.

I think the word(s) we need are:

"blackist"
"gayist"
"whitist"
"Bushist".

When we use the term "racist" we really do mean "blackist" and nothing else. Hmmm, but I imagine saying "blackist" in lieu of saying "racist" would make us - "racist".

Carry on - as you were - Sloggists...

I mean, just look at those lips
http://www.nottheads.com/images/Jay-Z.jpg

Considering the Northwest has as much experience with diversity as the South does with progress, it's no wonder that you should be so fascinated and enamored with a caricature that allows you to reminisce about the 'hood.

The whole thing is weird. Buy one of those shitty fabric wall hangings. Problem solved.

a simple honest question gets responses like #4, which reminds me of the times i have been in a situation that didn't feel right only to have it dismissed as overly sensitive by white friends, situations they have never faced but "hey the same thing happened to a friend's brother's girlfriend, i think, so it happens to white people too"

its not about the painting anymore...even jokey/sarcastic comments just kinda reify our position.

I wouldn't hang it on my wall, not because it's offensive, but because it's pretty bland.

1) My friend's a dillhole.
2) The painting's lame.
Maybe I'll hang it in the basement.

I don't personally think the painting is racist because the depictions are not showing the characters in a negative light. Of course "negative light" is always subjective, as is the meaning or quality of Art. The fact that you say you did not intend it to be racist means that it is definitely not racist. I'd just change the signature and tell people your black friend in Brooklyn painted it for you. Then no one will say anything to you about it anymore.

ps. this painting doesn't look or feel anything like the wtc before or after its redecoration. i also have to agree that the painting is certainly not particularly noteworthy.