Ebony and Ivory

Black and White are opposites but it’s hard to have one without the other. They go together like salt and pepper, the keys on a piano or a chessboard.

However, some people prefer Black, and others White. They have strong opinions about their preferences. Some only have black coffee, without milk, while others only have white coffee, with milk. When you have a clear opinion about something, you feel it’s a black and white situation. The position is either one way or the other, there is no in-between, no grey area. Sometimes, it’s hard to convince people that the opposite is true, unless it’s written in black and white, like in a newspaper. Sadly, Black can combine with Blue too. If you’re black and blue, that means you have bruises on your body.

If you’re in the black, that means that you earn more money than you spend, which is the opposite of being in the red, when you spend more than you earn! Using the opposite preposition, there’s black out, which can happen in two situations. If you lose electricity, especially at night, that’s a black out. If a person loses consciousness, he or she blacks out.

Unfortunately, Black usually has negative connotations. Black gold, which refers to oil, used to be positive, but after a few wars caused by its addiction, it’s not such a good thing anymore. If you blackmail someone, you demand money or favors from them in exchange for keeping something a secret. A black widow is a spider that decapitates and eats its victims after making love to them. Sometimes, women are metaphorically compared to them. The black sheep is the person who is considered to be bad by the rest of his/her family. But of course, as is often the case, people insult others when they have the same or worse defects. We tell these people that’s the pot calling the kettle black because the pot doesn’t realize that it’s as black as or blacker than the kettle.

On the other hand, White has a better reputation. If you’re whiter than white, it means that you’re an extremely good, honest person. But White isn’t as innocent as you think! People often tell white lies, which is when you lie to someone because you don’t want to hurt their feelings. And White can have negative connotations. Who isn’t scared of the Great White Shark? Poor, uneducated white people in the US are disparagingly[1] referred to as white trash. And we call people or things white bread if they are ordinary and boring, typical of white Americans. And then there are the white-collar workers, which refers to the color of the shirts worn by people who work in offices.

Often we use White to refer to someone’s complexion or character. If someone is as white as snow, that means that he, she or it is very white or very pure of heart. If you become scared, hear bad news or are sick, you may turn white. And in extreme cases you may become as white as a sheet!

Unfortunately, Black and White have a few stereotypes associated with them, and as you can see, the English language is no exception.

[1] despectivamente