# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/81 "2003-02-20T02:58:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Floater \* > \*\*The Khoisan are actually quite light. \*\* Hmmm, you must be right. I have erred, as incredible as that sounds. I’m sure the people I met were South Africans (it was in Jo’burg). Help me out here, which Africans have that charcoal dark skin? (this is deep curiosity, not racism) ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/82 "2003-02-20T02:58:37Z")
tony: > [@](#): > > Where’s the OP? > > Oooh post-n-hide huh? > > eh,newbie’s… I’m here. I already said “it’s not that serious”. Nothing else to say. Though I still don’t see what I said wrong in the post. ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/83 "2003-02-20T03:07:20Z")
> [@](#): > > “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.” _That’s_ racism. A slightly different kind of racism than we usually see, but it’s the same old duck. Looks like it. Walks like it. Is it. ---
**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 20, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/84 "2003-02-20T03:09:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pizzabrat \* > \*\*tony: > I’m here. I already said “it’s not that serious”. Nothing else to say. Though I still don’t see what I said wrong in the post. \*\* Nothing’s wrong with it at all. Except for it’s utter inanity, pointlessness, vacuousness, lack of factual support, and thinly veiled racism. Other than that, it’s perfectly fine. ---
**Author:** ![Linear\_Crack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Linear\_Crack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linear_Crack)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/85 "2003-02-20T03:11:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pizzabrat \* > \*\*…Though I still don’t see what I said wrong in the post. \*\* We know. Now if you don’t mind, we’re trying to get to the bottom of this whole mayo-naze thang! -LC ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/86 "2003-02-20T03:39:48Z")
I never heard anything about the mayonnaise thing until I saw _Undercover Brother_. ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/87 "2003-02-20T04:20:16Z")
Of course Colin Powell is not truly black. Actually, he’s a semicolon. ---
**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 20, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/88 "2003-02-20T05:05:15Z")
> [@](#): > > **Fionn** : I never heard anything about the mayonnaise thing until I saw Undercover Brother. I could be wrong, but my impression is that _Undercover Brother_ was parodying the [infamous FCC report](http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Informal/ad-study/adver.html) that some advertisers were snubbing minority broadcasters. > [@](#): > > Minority station salespeople soliciting an advertisement from the Beef Council were told that the Council was not going to buy advertising time on urban formatted radio stations because “Black people don’t eat beef.”(National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, Spring Conference, 1996, pages 1-2 of report) > > A major mayonnaise manufacturer refused to buy commercial time based upon the perception that “Black people don’t eat mayonnaise.” (National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, Spring Conference, 1997, page 2 of report) I am unaware of a general perception that a taste for mayonnaise is determined by race – I think that the meme started with that report, and “black people don’t eat mayonnaise” naturally gets more play than “black people don’t eat beef”, because, while the two premises are equally absurd, the mayonnaise one has the added appeal of having a serendipitous association with the colour white. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/89 "2003-02-20T05:17:22Z")
It’s not just the colour white, though, it’s the “bland factor”. I can see a black comic (the one from the Simpsons who talked about how white people drive, but pay attention anyway) doing a joke about black guys put hot sauce on their chicken, white guys put mayonaise on it. No offence to mayonaise, but it’s among the more boring of the condiments. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/90 "2003-02-20T06:59:20Z")
You can’t make potato salad without mayo-naze and there isn’t a soul food restaurant that doesn’t serve potato salad. Real black folks don’t buy miracle whip. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mermaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@The\_Mermaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mermaid)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/91 "2003-02-20T12:55:03Z")
[Oh brother where art thou] No he is NOT black. These boys is misegginated. I have it on very good authority that this boy sold his soul to the devil [/OBWAT] Yep that’s what I thought of when I read the OP. Just as relevent, just as ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![SC\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@SC\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SC_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/92 "2003-02-20T13:32:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EasyPhil \* > **You can’t make potato salad without mayo-naze** Bullshit. My favorite potato salad recipie has no mayonase. :wally ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/93 "2003-02-20T13:48:14Z")
Okay, so I’m opening a fast food outlet called “PizzaBratz”, and I want to a menu with cutsie names, including a “Colin Powell”. What’s on the menu and what are each made from? ---
**Author:** ![MrMyth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19b73/32.png) [@MrMyth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrMyth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/94 "2003-02-20T14:00:55Z")
a “Colin Powell” is choke sandwich - white bread(no crust - too brown!), turkey (white meat only), and a slice of cheese. But not golden cheese, cause that’s too ethnic. Maybe some mozzarella, cause it looks nearly white. Served with milk. Or water, if the milk’s not white enough. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/95 "2003-02-20T14:08:23Z")
Okay, now I get it. It’s racist because I’m implying that Jamaicans are stuck up. Sorry (I really didn’t see that at first). And mayonaise is disgusting because it’s just a blob of fat spread onto food. Nonfat plain yogurt is a perfect substitute for sandwich-moistening. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/96 "2003-02-20T14:17:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pizzabrat \* > \*\*Okay, now I get it. It’s racist because I’m implying that Jamaicans are stuck up. Sorry (I really didn’t see that at first). \*\* Well strictly, yes - “A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographic distribution” (American Heritage Dictionary), but some people quibble over the semantics of the term, so let’s just say “stupid and ignorant”. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/97 "2003-02-20T17:38:53Z")
I went to a Black school where it was confirmed for me “yes, we do think you White guys are weird for the mayonnaise thing.” That was just a few close friends, though, who may just not like mayonnaise. I didn’t take a scientific poll or anything, and I do weird things with mayo like eat it on fries. YBEMV (your Black experience may vary). ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/98 "2003-02-20T17:42:24Z")
I’ve noticed a lot of white people don’t like mayo, either, though. It’s a very polarizing condiment. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/99 "2003-02-20T18:12:19Z")
I’m white, and i think mayonnaise is weird (and yucky) ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069/100 "2003-02-20T18:16:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by don’t ask \* > \*\*I saw the Stones playing in Sydney last night and you won’t believe it but Bill Wyman is black now. \*\* Not only that, but he can play the bass now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colin-powell-is-not-black/156069.md?page=6)