# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Fearless\_Freap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e56c9b/32.png) [@Fearless\_Freap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fearless_Freap)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/21 "2003-02-19T05:42:38Z")
I cannot believe what a stupid fuckin’ thread this is. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/22 "2003-02-19T05:43:35Z")
You are right. He is not black. He is kinda brownish. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![CLedet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b487fb/32.png) [@CLedet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CLedet)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/23 "2003-02-19T05:49:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pizzabrat \* > \*\*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. \*\* Harry, is that you? ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/24 "2003-02-19T05:55:07Z")
I’m black Irish. ---
**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, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/25 "2003-02-19T06:06:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aslan2 \* > \*\*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) \*\* No, for this type of thread we need [THIS!](http://www.tforumhacks.com/tforum/emoticons/twak.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/26 "2003-02-19T06:07:09Z")
I knew a white guy from South Africa who used to get immense amounts of enjoyment by referring to himself as “African-American” and seeing how pissed off people got. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/27 "2003-02-19T06:07:26Z")
> [@](#): > > I suggest you take a different tact. Heck, with any tact, at all, this could have gone in **Great Debates** or **IMHO** instead of the **Pit**. OTOH, it would probably have been well for **pizzabrat** to have taken a different tack in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/28 "2003-02-19T06:13:31Z")
> [@](#): > > **Ethnicity, ethnic group** > Ethnicity defines individuals who consider themselves, or are considered by others, to share common characteristics which differentiate them from the other collectivities in a society, within which they develop distinct cultural behavior. > [@](#): > > **Race, sociology of** > Racial categorization is frequently (though not always) based on phenotypical differences; that is, differences of facial characteristics, skin colour, and so forth. But these do not correlate with genotypical differences (differences in genetic makeup). -Marshall, ed. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford UP, 1994. In other words we say he is, he says he is, so he is. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/29 "2003-02-19T06:16:54Z")
[George Carlin]Colin Powell is openly white. He just happens to be black.[/GC] ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/30 "2003-02-19T06:24:08Z")
I admit that I was stunned to find out that Mr. Powell was “black” when the whole Belafonte train-wreck happened. Up until then, I figured that he was a “white” fella. Ordinarily, “race” (whatever nebulous meaning that word has,) doesn’t enter into my perception of the man. Then again, if [this photoshop doodle](http://216.232.71.251/~larry/miscpics/powell.jpg) is any indication, my perception of him probably doesn’t have much of a corelation to his self-identity. At least, I sure-as-hell hope not. Now that we’ve ruled out Colin Powell, who _is_ the black man everyone can agree on? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/31 "2003-02-19T06:25:30Z")
So Jamaicans are too uppity to be sufficiently black to move the needle on your Real-Negro Meter? Write him about your concerns, I’m sure he’ll be umm… fascinated. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/32 "2003-02-19T06:26:49Z")
Colin Powell isn’t black? er…okay so, tell me who is black? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/33 "2003-02-19T06:30:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Now that we’ve ruled out Colin Powell, who is the black man everyone can agree on? Shaft? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/34 "2003-02-19T06:40:27Z")
Can I give up my title now? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/35 "2003-02-19T06:46:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Larry Mudd \* > \*\*Now that we’ve ruled out Colin Powell, who _is_ the black man everyone can agree on? \*\* Jesus. ---
**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, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/36 "2003-02-19T06:52:51Z")
Denzel. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Wrong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Mr.Wrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Wrong)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/37 "2003-02-19T06:53:45Z")
That cat Colin is a bad Mutha… ---
**Author:** ![d\_redguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@d\_redguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d_redguy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/38 "2003-02-19T07:06:37Z")
> [@](#): > > That cat Colin is a bad Mutha… Shut your mouth! ---
**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, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/39 "2003-02-19T07:12:35Z")
I’m just talkin’ 'bout Powell! ---
**Author:** ![d\_redguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@d\_redguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d_redguy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/40 "2003-02-19T07:17:21Z")
Or maybe… wait for it… When come back bring Powell. I’m sorry. I am **so** sorry. I apologize. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069.md?page=3)