# Colin Powell is NOT black! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 19, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069 "2003-02-19T04:50:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/1 "2003-02-19T04:50:00Z")
He’s the son of Jamaicans, who think they’re better than blacks, just like everyone else. Stop acting like he’s the black man everyone can agree on. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/2 "2003-02-19T04:51:39Z")
Hoo boy. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/3 "2003-02-19T04:52:52Z")
Uh huh. And what brought this little temper-tantrum on? ---
**Author:** ![Wildcatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eada6e/32.png) [@Wildcatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildcatz)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/4 "2003-02-19T04:55:12Z")
> [@](#): > > He’s the son of Jamaicans, who think they’re better than blacks, just like everyone else. :eek: :wally :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Nocktober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de053/32.png) [@Nocktober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nocktober)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/5 "2003-02-19T04:56:21Z")
Right you are. He’s Jamaican, just like Colin Ferguson, who shot up all those white and Asian folks on the Long Island Rail Road because he thought they looked down on, uh … black people. Wait, let me start over … ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/6 "2003-02-19T05:00:47Z")
Dam right. He’s orange. But then, my TV is busted some. Wolf Blitzer is blue most days. When I throw my shoe at the damn TV he turns orange. Gets me dam mad, it does. I just don’t know who is what color. That gets me riled up something fierce, you know? ---
**Author:** ![ratty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ccd318/32.png) [@ratty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratty)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/7 "2003-02-19T05:03:48Z")
Can… open. Worms…everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/8 "2003-02-19T05:06:20Z")
I wonder about that Jamaican weed sometimes. **pizzabrat** , is it any good? ---
**Author:** ![Nocktober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de053/32.png) [@Nocktober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nocktober)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/9 "2003-02-19T05:06:31Z")
Keep them orange folks outta _my_ neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/10 "2003-02-19T05:06:38Z")
err yeah what does that have to do with anything? any relevancy at all? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/11 "2003-02-19T05:09:41Z")
We really need a “stunned, gape-mouthed disbelief” smiley. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/12 "2003-02-19T05:13:25Z")
The following people can no longer be called black, due to pizzabrat’s revelation to all of us: Marcus Garvey Naomi Campbell Patrick Ewing Harry Belafonte Notorius BIG Lennox Lewis Busta Rhymes Thanks for the update. I _KNEW_ Marcus Garvey wasn’t really black. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/13 "2003-02-19T05:16:58Z")
I saw the Stones playing in Sydney last night and you won’t believe it but Bill Wyman is black now. ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/14 "2003-02-19T05:19:35Z")
…and yet Michael Jackson isn’t. How weird. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/15 "2003-02-19T05:24:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pizzabrat \* > **He’s the son of Jamaicans** [ul]😃 [sup]Is that the reason, Harry doesn’t like him?[/sup][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/16 "2003-02-19T05:29:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*We really need a “stunned, gape-mouthed disbelief” smiley. \*\* We have one -------\> :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/17 "2003-02-19T05:29:55Z")
As my Jamaican roommate used to say, “We _are_ black, we’re just not African-American!” Jamaicans do seem to dislike being confused with African-Americans (probably because, you know, they have their own distinct non-American country and culture and everything), but I’ve never known a black Jamaican to deny being black. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/18 "2003-02-19T05:35:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Stop acting like he’s the black man everyone can agree on. Um? Hunh? Parsing…Parsing…Parsing…System error… ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/19 "2003-02-19T05:40:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*We have one -------\> :eek: \*\* No, we need [this](http://forums.off-topic.net/images/smilies/ugh2.gif) [or this](http://forums.off-topic.net/images/smilies/slap.gif) [or this](http://forums.off-topic.net/images/smilies/puke.gif) [perhaps this](http://forums.off-topic.net/images/smilies/ugh.gif) [and finally, this:](http://forums.off-topic.net/images/smilies/wtf.gif) ---
**Author:** ![keturah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/20 "2003-02-19T05:41:11Z")
I know I am going to regret this, but I am going to ask, **Pizzabrat** what is black exactly?? If it is skin tone then where do you draw the line? If it is heritage, what countries do you claim? If it is politics, I suggest you take a different tact. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069.md?page=2)