# When/how did the color black become the "evil" color? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2002, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-the-color-black-become-the-evil-color/137368 "2002-11-18T19:58:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-the-color-black-become-the-evil-color/137368/21 "2011-10-17T01:31:15Z")
The ancient Egyptians described death and bad things as black. It’s very old. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-the-color-black-become-the-evil-color/137368/22 "2011-10-17T09:45:39Z")
> [@Naxos](#): > > Ask the Pope. It’s a Catholic thing that has become a cultural standard in the past several hundred years. Priests are dressed in black. Don’t know about zombie priests, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-the-color-black-become-the-evil-color/137368/23 "2011-10-17T16:07:18Z")
Black is merely the absence of light. The association between light and good has been there since time immemorial. It’s an intuitive association that doesn’t really need anyone to “start it”, because light is necessary for us to live/exist. So obviously its absence is bad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-how-did-the-color-black-become-the-evil-color/137368.md?page=1)