# Bizarre stereotypes - ''Only black people wear purple"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 3, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240 "2013-02-03T18:31:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/61 "2013-02-04T17:46:06Z")
Tinky Winky \*is \*gay though. I used to think that was bullshit but then when my kid was a toddler and I started watching the show and I realized he really was. Not sure if he was to begin with or if the British were just having a sense of humor about it once nutjob Falwell said that, but in any case, he’s gay now. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/62 "2013-02-04T18:09:42Z")
> [@Tixenfleaz](#): > > I never understood the whole ribs, fried chicken, and watermelon thing. How the fuck do you get a stereotype out of people eating awesome food? I’ve had several black people tell me outright that I _couldn’t_ be white, because I like rib tips and collards and black eyed peas. Really rather belligerently, too. Baffles me. It’s good food! Why would my skin color dictate to my taste buds?! I finally say something along the lines of, “Well, y’know, my ancestors came to North America before there was a United States. I’m sure there was plenty of time for fraternizin’, but nobody wrote anything down,” and then we can finally move on to the next topic. Several have promised to make me chittlin’s one of these days, because I’ve never tried them. I swear, they’re making it out to be some sort of DNA test. If WhyNot likes chittlin’s, she’s clearly One Of Us. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/63 "2013-02-04T18:17:19Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > Stupid stereotypes that have amazed me… > > … People with graduate degrees are smart - some are very smart, many are average joes who can write a paper IMO. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this stereotype is usually bang on. MAYBE the odd person with an average IQ gets a graduate degree, but postgrad students are a self-selecting group, one that selects for academic interest. They’re going to be significantly smarter, on average, than the mean. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/64 "2013-02-04T19:30:31Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > It’s natural, man! > > In the hippie town where I live, it’s far less common to see a woman with makeup, fashionable clothes, footwear with raised heels, dyed hair, and so on than in other cities where I’ve lived. [Styles tend to be either crunchy](http://i.imgur.com/0fnwrNT.jpg), [outdoorsy](http://i.imgur.com/Yxlz6.jpg?1) or [plain](http://i.imgur.com/wHZPU.jpg), at least among townies. In online dating profiles, the REI/EMS/MEC look is in. LOL - I was formerly pretty sure I knew where you lived, now I am definitely sure! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/65 "2013-02-04T19:44:30Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > I must admit…I don’t understand straight women who don’t spruce up. Most men are attracted to very feminine women. Unless you are purposely trying to avoid male attention, what’s the point of taking oneself off the radar? What do you mean by “spruce up”? The distance between clean and neatly groomed and “very feminine” can be very large. If I went by a stereotype of “very feminine” I would have to - lose 200 pounds and somehow make my skeleton smaller - dye my hair - straighten my teeth - whiten my teeth - shave legs and pits - pluck my eyebrows - get foofy hair - wear makeup - wear perfume - wear dressy heels - wear foofy clothes And keep it up for the rest of my life. I think I’ll just stick with being clean, presentable and comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/66 "2013-02-04T19:47:01Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > “Black girls don’t like to give head.” I thought it was all women don’t like to. And I thought it was old women who wear purple. > **[Warning - Warning Poem by Jenny Joseph](https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/warning/)** > > Read Warning poem by Jenny Joseph written. Warning poem is from Jenny Joseph poems. Warning poem summary, analysis and comments. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/67 "2013-02-04T23:35:02Z")
Thin people (especially women) are all vegetarian. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/68 "2013-02-04T23:44:52Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > Jewish girls don’t give head. > [@Ambivalid](#): > > “Black girls don’t like to give head.” Take it from me, in a personal anecdote. Both are false, and that’s a fact. Bizarre, ain’t it? :D:D:D:D:D ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/69 "2013-02-04T23:55:11Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I’ve had several black people tell me outright that I _couldn’t_ be white, because I like rib tips and collards and black eyed peas. Really rather belligerently, too. Baffles me. It’s good food! Why would my skin color dictate to my taste buds?! That reminds me of a bit from Chris Rock. Something like, ''Can you believe that waiter assumed that just because I am black I would order the chicken? I do not like chicken because I am a black man. I like chicken because chicken is delicious." ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/70 "2013-02-05T01:08:04Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > Stupid stereotypes that have amazed me: > Black people are dirtier; you can tell because after a bath, they leave a darker ring around the tub. - um, maybe the ring is darker because the sloughed-off skin is darker. The darker ring around the tub thing sounds like a completely bullshit myth that someone made up while just talking out their ass. Unfortunately, your attempt to explain it (as if such obvious bullshit needed a rational explanation), is not much better and lends it credence it doesn’t deserve. I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure any skin that is sloughed-off when bathing does not include any melanin, and is similarly translucent in people of all shades and colors. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/71 "2013-02-05T01:18:11Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > I must admit…I don’t understand straight women who don’t spruce up. Most men are attracted to very feminine women. Unless you are purposely trying to avoid male attention, what’s the point of taking oneself off the radar? Don’t stereotype the straight guy. An ex-boyfriend of mine hated women who spruced up. But he always had is eye on “natural” women. And I have the pleasure of knowing many other guys who feel the same. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/72 "2013-02-05T01:23:14Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > The darker ring around the tub thing sounds like a completely bullshit myth that someone made up while just talking out their ass. Unfortunately, your attempt to explain it (as if such obvious bullshit needed a rational explanation), is not much better and lends it credence it doesn’t deserve. > > I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure any skin that is sloughed-off when bathing does not include any melanin, and is similarly translucent in people of all shades and colors. You may call BS if you want but: My answer came from a discussion with a coworker (who is black, I’m white) shortly after I was told that silly piece of information. Her response to me was exactly what I reported here. In fact, she claimed that many blacks (but I’m thinking ‘her’) used darker tones for tubs and showers for just that reason. The color of her bath is taupe. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/73 "2013-02-05T01:38:10Z")
Doing wound care, sloughing skin and the finished basin of water is a bit darker in darker skinned individuals. It’s not black or even brown, but it is a darker tannish beigeish color. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/74 "2013-02-05T02:04:44Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > You may call BS if you want but: > > My answer came from a discussion with a coworker (who is black, I’m white) shortly after I was told that silly piece of information. Her response to me was exactly what I reported here. In fact, she claimed that many blacks (but I’m thinking ‘her’) used darker tones for tubs and showers for just that reason. The color of her bath is taupe. She’s wrong too. Black people get ashy, in fact, because their outermost layer of dry/flaky skin is the same color as white people’s. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/75 "2013-02-05T06:02:50Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Presumably, that’s quality control, not safety - they could taint the samples. Safety as well. We know how do chemicals behave in contact with skin, but makeup adds an unknown. Something which is washed off easily from plain skin may react with or be more difficult to wash off makeup; if a chemical fell on your made-up skin you’d need to wash both the chemical and the makeup - and most makeup is specifically designed to be hard to wash off with water, whereas many of the most frequent dangerous chemicals in a lab (strong acids and bases) wash off easily with water. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/76 "2013-02-05T06:05:49Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Safety as well. > > MSDS include information on how do chemicals behave in contact with skin, but makeup adds an unknown. Something which is washed off easily from plain skin may react with or be more difficult to wash off makeup; if a chemical fell on your made-up skin you’d need to wash both the chemical and the makeup - and most makeup is specifically designed to be hard to wash off with water, whereas many of the most frequent dangerous chemicals in a lab (strong acids and bases) wash off easily with water. That makes sense, I hadn’t thought of that. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/77 "2013-02-05T06:09:25Z")
Out of Time ETA: That “may” does not indicate a hypothesis, it’s something that’s been known to happen. I’ve seen it mysef. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/78 "2013-02-05T06:12:44Z")
Also google NBA draft day suits for more colorful anecdotal evidence. > [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > That reminds me of a bit from Chris Rock. Something like, ''Can you believe that waiter assumed that just because I am black I would order the chicken? I do not like chicken because I am a black man. I like chicken because chicken is delicious." Are you sure you’re not thinking about [Dave Chappelle](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ4B7G8Rw3Q)? ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/79 "2013-02-05T06:54:44Z")
I recently posted this in another thread: The Onion’s Little Known Racial Stereotypes [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GmmWc99YPdw/hqdefault.jpg "Little known racial stereotypes") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmmWc99YPdw) “Eskimos run all the locksmith shops.” ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2013, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240/80 "2013-02-05T06:56:03Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > That reminds me of a bit from Chris Rock. Something like, ''Can you believe that waiter assumed that just because I am black I would order the chicken? I do not like chicken because I am a black man. I like chicken because chicken is delicious." > [@enomaj](#): > > Are you sure you’re not thinking about [Dave Chappelle](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ4B7G8Rw3Q)? I guess they really do all look alike. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bizarre-stereotypes-only-black-people-wear-purple/649240.md?page=5)