# People who didn't know that Ed Bradley was... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 14, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356 "2006-11-14T04:12:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/1 "2006-11-14T04:12:00Z")
black! That’s right, several friends and family members over the past couple days have expressed surprise to learn, not that Bradley is dead, but that he was black! Apparently they only figured it out on hearing it mentioned during all the memorials. I asked, and they all said that yes, they had seen him many times on 60 Minutes (and could describe him as the guy with the beard and the earring), but that they simply thought he was white. I was very surprised by this. Yes, he’s very lite skinned, and for all I know he may have been biracial (no mention of it in his Wikipedia entry), but unfortunately the norm in the US is that the “one-drop rule” still lumps anyone with evident African ancestry as black, and to me he clearly seemed to qualify in that regard. So – was anyone else here surprised to learn that Bradley was African-American? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/2 "2006-11-14T04:23:07Z")
Are these the same people who think the earth is a few thousand years old? How could they not tell he was black? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/3 "2006-11-14T04:28:39Z")
I have seen some very tanned people who looked not unlike a black person. But the thing that gives it away is usually the hair/skintone combo, and Ed Bradley fit into that department from my observations. Not that I saw him much, only in occasional international segments we got on our version of 60 Minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/4 "2006-11-14T05:03:02Z")
I only realized he was black after he was assigned to one-too-many stories covering jazz, black celebrities, and coffee-colored foreigners. Uh… aren’t you glad that people didn’t realize? Colorblind and all that? ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/5 "2006-11-14T05:09:41Z")
[QUOTE=Sattua] Uh… aren’t you glad that people didn’t realize? Colorblind and all that? [/QUOTE] Colorblind in that sense means just not being prejudiced or having stereotypes when you see people of different races, to me at least. It doesn’t literally mean not noticing the race of someone you have seen on TV many times over the years. You can give me the most non-prejudiced person in the world, and I wouldn’t believe them if they told me they never noticed that Oprah Winfrey was black. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/6 "2006-11-14T06:04:06Z")
Anyone remember the time [_TV Guide_](http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/photos/oprah.html) stuck a photo of Oprah Winfrey’s face on [Ann-Margret](http://www.starpulse.com/Actresses/Ann-Margaret/gallery/342691/)’s body? ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/7 "2006-11-14T06:17:48Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Anyone remember the time [_TV Guide_](http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/photos/oprah.html) stuck a photo of Oprah Winfrey’s face on [Ann-Margret](http://www.starpulse.com/Actresses/Ann-Margaret/gallery/342691/)’s body? [/QUOTE] Christ. I guess this was pre-Photoshop doctorers with talent. They couldn’t make her head human-sized? The editor is clearly a Nancy Reagan fan. To those who didn’t know Ed Bradley was Black: :smack: Should probably get a PSA out with the correct racial identification of Colin Powell and Lena Horne. Who else should be on that list? Oh, I know. _The Rock_! ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/8 "2006-11-14T08:42:38Z")
[QUOTE=Rodgers01] So – was anyone else here surprised to learn that Bradley was African-American? [/QUOTE] Not surprised now…but I was a bit confused when he first started on the show. It took me a while to realize he was black…poor reception on the crappy TV and all. I will also admit to not knowing that the current mayor of Cleveland is black, until after his election…have seen him on the news for years, where he was known as a man of few words…he was mostly this guy standing in the background of shots of the more vocal members of City Council. ---
**Author:** ![shizaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@shizaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shizaru)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/9 "2006-11-14T08:52:12Z")
Seriously, there are people who didn’t realize he was black? I’m really surprised… Salma Hayek is still mexican though, right? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/10 "2006-11-14T08:55:10Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Anyone remember the time [_TV Guide_](http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/photos/oprah.html) stuck a photo of Oprah Winfrey’s face on [Ann-Margret](http://www.starpulse.com/Actresses/Ann-Margaret/gallery/342691/)’s body? [/QUOTE] People fell for that? I guess I grew up in the photoshop age and have a keen eye for that sort of thing. It instantly appeared totally incongruent to me. ---
**Author:** ![shizaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@shizaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shizaru)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/11 "2006-11-14T09:23:16Z")
[QUOTE=SenorBeef] People fell for that? I guess I grew up in the photoshop age and have a keen eye for that sort of thing. It instantly appeared totally incongruent to me. [/QUOTE] A lot of people don’t KNOW what Photoshop is. Many folk think Microsoft Photo Editor is all there is, for instance, because they don’t need anything like photoshop or illustrator. It took me a good month to convince a guy I knew that the [**giant cat was photoshopped.**](http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Howto.htm) With that Oprah shot though, its pretty easy to tell that ain’t her body. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/12 "2006-11-14T12:44:40Z")
There’s an older picture of him [here](http://nosysnoop.wordpress.com/2006/11/09/60-minutes-legend-ed-bradley-dies-of-leukemia-at-age-65/). In one of the retrospectives I saw, there was an old pictureof him from when he was a disc jockey. He was looking \*very \* Venus Flytrap. I’m astounded that anyone over the age of, say, 20 wouldn’t know he was black. Maybe I was an oddball, but I loved “60 Minutes” when I was a kid. Still do. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/13 "2006-11-14T15:43:25Z")
When I first saw him on 60 Minutes it didn’t register to me that he was black. Of course I can’t remember what time period that was. :smack: The Rock I think of as Samoan. Ah, but I see his dad is black. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/14 "2006-11-14T16:33:55Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] Should probably get a PSA out with the correct racial identification of Colin Powell and Lena Horne. Who else should be on that list? [/QUOTE] Michael Jackson? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/15 "2006-11-14T18:12:28Z")
During the first Gulf War, I didn’t know that Colin Powell was black. In my defense, I was in my early twenties, pretty sheltered, and an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/16 "2006-11-14T19:55:42Z")
I will admit to being well over the age of 20, fairly culturally aware, and not having a clue that Ed Bradley was black. ::shrug:: I was not a regular viewer of 60 minutes, but as in the OP I knew who he was and could describe him. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/17 "2006-11-14T20:11:03Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] Should probably get a PSA out with the correct racial identification of Colin Powell and Lena Horne. Who else should be on that list? [/QUOTE] [Rashida Jones](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/4978/Events/4978/RashidaJon_Mazur_9195240_400.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Jones,%20Rashida) ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/18 "2006-11-14T20:23:00Z")
[QUOTE=Hippy Hollow] Should probably get a PSA out with the correct racial identification of Colin Powell and Lena Horne. Who else should be on that list? [/QUOTE] [Vanessa Williams](http://www.avatarrecords.com/publishing/img/vanessa_williams.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/19 "2006-11-14T21:23:26Z")
But now you’re talking mixed-race people and not everyone considers them black. But while we’re at it, Jennifer Beals. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356/20 "2006-11-14T22:00:28Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] But now you’re talking mixed-race people and not everyone considers them black. [/QUOTE] True, but I was following the OP’s “one drop rule”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-didnt-know-that-ed-bradley-was/380356.md?page=2)