That is in very poor taste. Let's stay away from these stereotypes. Just lame.

it shows a lot of talent - very assured and well trained style. I had an idea - for Morrissey and Africana drawing myself - might get around to doing it now.

Thanks

Being part black, I find this deeply, deeply offensive. Shame on anyone who can even find this remotely funny.
2003, I really thought we were over this...

first the rumor and now the racists. david-what the fuck??

I come to this site everyday, and it's pretty disappointing to see something like this on it.

Oh, it's laughing at stereotypes, not perpetrating them.

Hey, if you wanna hear an absolutely fantastic Smiths-influenced band fronted by a great singer who's black, listen to the Dears. They describe themselves as orchestral pop noir romantique, I think.

http://www.thedears.org/

Hey,

Personally I found the drawing very funny.

It's not meant to be taken seriously.

Similarly, I am a Greek-Australian. I found the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding very funny, because it is meant to be humerous. That movie couldn't be more sterio-typical of greek people.

This armed man ....lol
that story takes the cake . i like it.
gangsta smiths rock

I did find it funny, but also realise that this brings to mind a very sensitive issue. If the illustration came with a narration of the artist's intention, that would clarify wether it is really friendly banter, or if it is in fact intended to be serious. For instance, the artist may say " I live in an area where blacks are visible mostly in the criminal element. This is my way of dealing with it. Though it is done with some affection, it is based on my truth. " or, " I was just really bored one time, and let this come out spontaneously. I have black friends, and have seen both assholes and intelligent people, of both races. If you are offended, by all means do make a rebuttal with a parody of whites in stereotype, though it won't have the same verbal ring, because 'blacksmith' is a word that's been around a while, meaning, someone who makes tools, and puts horseshoes on, etc. That was why the word 'black' was played upon, rather than 'white', 'red', 'yellow', and, how else could it have been funny, if the gangster stereotype hadn't been played with? " Hopefully it was just innocent artistic mischief, and not a belief that blacks are gangsters, any more than whites are seen as a negative stereotype i.e. arrogant, greedy, deceitful.
That said, I am aware that racism against blacks exists, and that it is not funny, and that, if I were black, I would bristle a bit at that illustration, because I would wonder, if it were drawn by, for instance, some smartass klu klux klan ass licker. Never know. So, certainly, it would hurt to a degree, unless I saw reassurance embedded in the piece, that the intention really was strictly playful. It isn't funny to be hated for one's genetic code, and such an illustration, would remind me, that such hatred, and manufactured justification for it, exist. There are people who hate blacks, but it is hard for people who aren't subjected to it, to see anything but humour in such an illustration, because they themselves do not feel their pleasure of it poisoned by the painful associatons that may come to mind with this stereotypical portrayal, in a person who's been impacted by this stereotype, had it used against him/her, as justification to violate him/her.

this is not funny. Even "This Armed Man" didn't get me laughing.

God, some of you psuedo intellectuals are hilarious. You don't have to contextualise everything, it's just a joke! It's in such poor taste it's obviously not meant to be taken seriously.
I don't want to live in a world where you can't poke fun at stereotypes. I'm sorry, but Anyone who took offense at this must be a simpleton.

Wow! To think it's 2003, and people think they can post things like this. Very poor taste.

Dear Friends,

This drawing is horribly stereotypical, and it is not funny whatsoever. Actually, it is very moronic and stupid. I do not see any humour in it whatsoever. I cannot believe in 2003 that we have to cope with this. African-Americans are as diverse a population as any other.

I am tired of *ghetto-fabulous* promotions.

Sincerely,
Ken Stavitzke

Hilarious!!

How sensitive people are here...My God.

This is not "perpetuating myths" about black people - where in the drawing is it hinted that "This is how all black people are"? It's mixing elements of two different worlds - That of the Smiths and that of certain black rap bands (and these do exist, but nobody in their right minds would say that they represent everything that is black, just like the Smiths do not represent everything that is British), thus creating a funny whole. It's what most humour is about anyway. You may or may not be amused, but it is obviously not meant in an offensive way.

I also don't like the implication that rap culture somehow represents a bad part of black culture. I tend to think rap music to some extent bridges the gap between races and certainly means a lot to many people (though personally I am not a fan).

Lighten up, please, and spend your energy on worthier causes. There are people starving in Africa for God's sake.

I find the material at hand no less a racial stereotype than those who claim that it is because it has fun with certain rap sub-culture conventions. Last time I looked not all black people were gangsta rappers (nor were all rappers black). Shame on you for suggesting that because this lampoons rap, that it must be an affont on all blacks.

Worse still is the suggestion being made here that any one or any culture cannot be the object of humour without being racist.

Its only a joke. I wish people would get off their high horses and start living in the real world. People should be able to laugh at each other. If a similar joke was played the other way around, Im sure there would be no comments at all.

Hey,

Personally I found the drawing very funny.

It's not meant to be taken seriously.

Ask Morrissey how many black friends he has, then all of you who are complaining that that drawing is racist should really give it up.

Yeah it's stupid, but it's funny, and like any ethnic joke, the point is not to take it as a generalization of a race, but rather a commentary on those who DO take it seriously.

I'm tired and I want to go bed.