# The color of number two
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-color-of-number-two/511242
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [September 23, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-color-of-number-two/511242 "2009-09-23T14:42:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-color-of-number-two/511242/1 "2009-09-23T14:42:51Z")
[Why is, um, fecal matter brown?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/575/why-is-um-fecal-matter-brown)
Is it my imagination, or was this article orignally entitled, “Why is shit brown?” Was it bowdlerized by the addition of [fecal matter] in brackets? And wasn’t it originally from a wag who thought he could slip one by ol’ Cecil by signing himself Billy Rubin?
I only remember that article because it was the one that prompted me to start reading Cecil’s books, and eventually frequent these boards.
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### Author:  [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-color-of-number-two/511242/2 "2009-09-23T16:11:42Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#):
>
> [Why is, um, fecal matter brown?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/575/why-is-um-fecal-matter-brown)
>
> Is it my imagination, or was this article orignally entitled, “Why is shit brown?” Was it bowdlerized by the addition of [fecal matter] in brackets? And wasn’t it originally from a wag who thought he could slip one by ol’ Cecil by signing himself Billy Rubin?
>
> I only remember that article because it was the one that prompted me to start reading Cecil’s books, and eventually frequent these boards.
Fear Itself, you are quite correct. I went and got my copy of More of the Straight Dope. I went to the index and looked up Shit. It says:
shit, why brown: 381-82
I turn to 381 and sure enough, the question asked by Dave is, “Why is shit brown?”
I recall from decades back there’s also some question submitted by Billy Rubin, which would be related here … but all I could find was a broken link.
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### Author:  [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-color-of-number-two/511242/3 "2009-09-23T20:27:30Z")
I saw the title of this thread and thought “Oh yeah, that was the question from Billy Rubin!”
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### Author:  [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-color-of-number-two/511242/4 "2009-09-23T23:04:56Z")
The column was first posted online during our days with AOL, which frowned on excessively frank discussion. The process of unbowdlerization remains incomplete.
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### Author:  [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-color-of-number-two/511242/5 "2009-09-24T01:34:11Z")
Heck, I thought this was going to be a thread about grapheme → color synesthesia.
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### Author:  [@QuercusMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuercusMax)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-color-of-number-two/511242/6 "2009-09-24T02:51:13Z")
> [@John\_W.Kennedy](#):
>
> Heck, I thought this was going to be a thread about grapheme → color synesthesia.
Same here - come to find it’s all just a load of crap.