Colored People's Time

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Colored People's Time, or CPT, is an American expression referring to a stereotype of African Americans or Latinos as frequently being late. It's an inside joke, in that Black people themselves refer to the term, and will make light of another Black person being late, or being known for being late for appointments: "Hey, where Molly at?" "Come on man, you know she runnin' on CPT."

[edit] CPT in the media

The phrase has found expression in various forms of media:

  • Colored People's Time, a 1960s public interest program produced by Detroit Public Television.
  • Colored People's Time, a 1983 play written by Leslie Lee, consisting of 13 vignettes of African American history from the Civil War through the Montgomery bus riots. (ISBN 0-573-61894-1)
  • Discussed on Reno 911
  • A scene in the movie Undercover Brother, one of the clocks on the wall is labeled as "Colored People Time".
  • Alluded to by Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock in relation to the BET show "Black Frasier" and its broadcast time of "Thursdays at about 9 or 9:15"
  • In the eighth episode of the third season of The Wire, a major dealer informs a prospective love interest that he "don't truck CP Time."
  • Referred to in the lead-in for the Season 2 opener of The Boondocks, "...Or Die Trying."
  • Referred to in a mock awards ceremony in Cedric the Entertainer Presents.
  • Referred to in an episode of "Everybody Hates Chris" titled "Everybody Hates the Bachelor Pad". Chris walks into class late and his teacher says, "... all men are created equal, even when they're on CP time."
  • Referred to in several songs by the gangsta rap group N.W.A.

[edit] CPT in Literature

The phrase may be found in the following literary texts:

  • Langston Hughes' poem "Dancer" in Montage of a Dream Deferred (1951): "Even a great dancer/ can't C.P.T./ a show."
  • Toni Morrison's novel Jazz: "CPT! Surprise me for once, Joe Trace." - Sheila says, commenting on Joe's late arrival.

[edit] Similar Expressions

  • CPT is similar to Indian Standard Time, a similar inside joke joke which arose separately among East Asian American immigrants, referring to Indian immigrants as always delayed a few hours in all endevours, possibly because their strong ties to the home country extend to the time zone.