# Why does the United Negro College fund feel the need to lie so egregiously? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 7, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018 "2009-06-07T16:15:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/101 "2009-06-07T22:35:56Z")
How do you ? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/102 "2009-06-07T22:37:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Not All That Bright: > I was unaware that Michael Faraday was black, but hey, live and learn. I know I’m missing something glaringly obvious here but I don’t know what----help me out, please. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/103 "2009-06-07T22:37:43Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > How do you ? I don’t. I already said that. I’m just not assuming the worst like most people here are. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/104 "2009-06-07T22:37:58Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Oh gimme a break, it’s a small bit of cheerleading from a group that was marginalized and shit on for a few hundred years. It’s not an “egregious lie.” The U.N.C.F. has only been around since 1944. Unless you’re equating the group with African-Americans as a whole, which is an egregious stretch of the truth. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/105 "2009-06-07T22:42:42Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The U.N.C.F. has only been around since 1944. > > Unless you’re equating the group with African-Americans as a whole, which is an egregious stretch of the truth. I’m presuming the UNCF is made up primarily of African Americans, am I mistaken? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/106 "2009-06-07T22:45:20Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I don’t. I already said that. I’m just not assuming the worst like most people here are. You’re not just “not assuming the worst”, you’re exploding like a grenade at the mere suggestion that the ad’s language isn’t clear and factual. I’ll admit a black dude innovated the shit out of “the motor” if you admit the ad could have been worded a lot better 😉 ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/107 "2009-06-07T22:46:05Z")
By the way, [here’s a copy of the advertisement](http://www.uncf.org/mediacenter/doc/Manifesto.jpg). The ad states at the bottom to go to the UNCF website for more info. But a perfunctory search only revealed [this to me:](http://www.uncf.org/mediacenter/pr_Detail.asp?prID=149) > [@](#): > > The new PSA campaign, created pro bono by Young & Rubicam, includes television, radio, print, and outdoor advertising. By highlighting the leadership and accomplishments of important African Americans inventions and innovations, the new work asks potential donors to consider the impact of minority education on their own lives and, “Support minority education today, so we don’t miss out on the next big idea tomorrow.” The television and radio ads are narrated by actor Courtney B. Vance, who himself was featured in a 1989 UNCF PSA. > > “These PSAs make the critical connection between education and the African American scientists, doctors, engineers and other professionals whose ideas have made life better for all of us,” said UNCF President and CEO Michael L. Lomax, Ph.D. “Our way of life is built on the kinds of ideas that are spotlighted in the PSAs, and we need to make sure that the next generation of innovators and inventers has the education they need to make their contributions to their communities and the country.” ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/108 "2009-06-07T22:53:07Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Show me what post I skipped First post #37. Then again in post #45, although you lied and claimed you addressed it. I asked two relevant question is post #57. Post #70. Post #83 (you responded to it but just to call me a name; you did not answer the question). > [@](#): > > or where I moved the goal posts? Why would you ask me this when it’s obvious I can name the one that **stpauler** mentioned, which you didn’t even try to deny? This: > [@](#): > > There aren’t ad editors? Sorry, someone is going to accuse me of “moving goal posts” but I guess I just used the wrong term. When I said editors I meant some sort of oversight. is not a denial of what goalpost moving you were accused of, btw. It’s either pretending to not understand why you were accused of moving a goalpost or you really just are a fuckwit. > [@](#): > > I apologized for implying you were being racist Terrific. You still used it as a lame tactic. Where’s **Carol Stream** ’s apology? > [@](#): > > but you don’t want to hear it, you just want to whine. Said the pot to the kettle. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/109 "2009-06-07T23:04:30Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I seen a house fly. I seen a horse fly. Well I even seen a dragon fly. But I be done seen about everything, when I see someone claim the editors of the New York fucking Times don’t even look at the ads they place. If the Times is responsible for the truth in all the ads they ran, there would be a lot less ads. Deceptive ads are endless. How many stores have a tri yearly going out of business sale? Thanks to dog that all TV ads are honest. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/110 "2009-06-07T23:06:28Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > You’re not just “not assuming the worst”, you’re exploding like a grenade at the mere suggestion that the ad’s language isn’t clear and factual. Where? I recall saying that the ad was obvious cheerleading, not that it was clear and factual. > [@Kobal2](#): > > I’ll admit a black dude innovated the shit out of “the motor” if you admit the ad could have been worded a lot better 😉 You know, I obviously don’t have a clue what an African American did to the motor if anything, but I’m not going to assume they just made it up out of whole cloth. Could it have been clearer? Sure, almost every ad ever could. If anyone wants clarification they can call the United Negro College Fund’s Communications and Press department at (703) 205-3404. And Fantomine please go away now thanks. I don’t even know what the fuck you’re talking about anymore and I seriously doubt you do either. You’re just being a cock for the sake of being a cock. ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/111 "2009-06-07T23:08:10Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > How about the motor? African Americans have, for all their achievements, not had anything to do with either the internal combustion engine or the electric motor. **Cisco** isn’t saying an African American necessarily had anything to do with the invention of the motor; he’s saying any little tweak along the way to any motor at all, means the ad is not misleading. He’s either lying or an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/112 "2009-06-07T23:12:22Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > He’s either lying or an idiot. It’s both. You can go away now. ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/113 "2009-06-07T23:15:02Z")
Now we can add post #108 too the list. ---
**Author:** ![dgrdfd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@dgrdfd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dgrdfd)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/114 "2009-06-07T23:18:19Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > **Cisco** isn’t saying an African American necessarily had anything to do with the invention of the motor; he’s saying any little tweak along the way to any motor at all, means the ad is not misleading. He’s either lying or an idiot. I wrote some software that flies on and improved the space shuttle - I friggin’ innovated/invented the space shuttle! I think I deserve a Wikipedia page for this wonderful accomplishment. I love this new age way of thinking. What African American innovated the guitar? Are they referring to Jimi Hendrix? j/k I have done some cursory searching and not finding much. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/115 "2009-06-07T23:18:36Z")
I’m just not going to respond to every stupid shitty post that careens off your fingertips, dude. I don’t owe Carol Stream an apology, and you haven’t pointed out where I moved any goal posts. I tried to make nice with you and have a real discussion, and I’m sorry I started out so rude, but you’re continuing to be a cock, so fuck off, ok? ---
**Author:** ![Fantome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Fantome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fantome)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/116 "2009-06-07T23:40:00Z")
> [@dgrdfd](#): > > What African American innovated the guitar? I’d bet there have been at least a few in the past thirty years alone. It’s doubtful that in more modern times you’ll find cites that bother mentioning that these people were African American. > [@Cisco](#): > > I’m just not going to respond to every stupid shitty post that careens off your fingertips, dude. You asked and I answered, _dude_. Calling relevant questions and points stupid and shitty isn’t going to fool anyone. > [@](#): > > I don’t owe Carol Stream an apology Why did I deserve one anymore than she did? You implied she was a racist also. > [@](#): > > and you haven’t pointed out where I moved any goal posts. Yes, I did. You just refuse to respond to the accusation. > [@](#): > > I tried to make nice with you and have a real discussion You mean when you apologized for calling me a racist and then went on to call me an argumentative prick? That was super nicey-nice. > [@](#): > > and I’m sorry I started out so rude, but you’re continuing to be a cock, so fuck off, ok? Since this one seems so sincere- I accept. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/117 "2009-06-07T23:44:19Z")
It’s a really stupid ad. It makes the people who endorse it look stupid. It is not in the best interests of the UNCF to run this ad. The more I look at it the stupider it gets. The list is not a list of innovations, it is a list of artifacts and processes. A hairbrush is not an innovation. A riding saddle is not an innovation. A lunch pail is not an innovation. And so on and so on (to quote the ad itself, in another embarrassingly awkward construction.) If they meant to say that African American minds made contributions along the way to the current incarnations of the artifacts on that list, they simply should have said so. It is not a difficult concept to conceive or to convey. But to claim that African American minds are _responsible_ for the items on the list is misleading in the extreme. You might as well say that the first person to make a fire with flint and steel is responsible for automatic weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/118 "2009-06-07T23:54:01Z")
> [@Fantome](#): > > Why did I deserve one anymore than she did? You implied she was a racist also. Because she probably really is 😉 > [@Fantome](#): > > Yes, I did. You just refuse to respond to the accusation. You never explained how I moved any goal posts. I’m not going to play guessing games with you. > [@Fantome](#): > > You mean when you apologized for calling me a racist and then went on to call me an argumentative prick? That was super nicey-nice. Sorry pal, that’s not how it happened and you know it. I said: > [@](#): > > You’re reading it as literally and as antagonistically as possible, because you just want to argue. I’m sorry I questioned your motives for wanting to argue, but that you just want to argue is clear. And you ignored that and responded to the rest of my post with snarky argumentative one-liners. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/119 "2009-06-07T23:58:35Z")
> [@LouisB](#): > > I know I’m missing something glaringly obvious here but I don’t know what----help me out, please. I was being facetious. Michael Faraday invented the electric motor, but he was neither American nor of African origin. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018/120 "2009-06-08T00:03:20Z")
Here: [Frederick McKinley Jones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_McKinley_Jones) had several patents involving engines and refrigeration units (“motors”.) The ad gets less and less nefarious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-united-negro-college-fund-feel-the-need-to-lie-so-egregiously/499018.md?page=7)