Colored People's Time
Encyclopedia
Colored People's Time, or CPT, is an American expression referring to a stereotype
of Afrian Americans as frequently being late.
, Undercover Brother
, Let's Do It Again (1975 film)
, House Party (film)
and the television series' The Boondocks
, The Wire
, Where My Dogs At?
, Reno 911, 30 Rock
, Everybody Hates Chris
, The PJs
, Bridezillas, Mad TV
and Cedric the Entertainer Presents
and reality series' The Real Housewives of Atlanta
. There was also a 1960s public interest program produced by Detroit Public Television with the name Colored People's Time, as well as a 1980s play written by Leslie Lee which consisted of 13 vignettes of African American history from the Civil War through the Montgomery bus riots. (ISBN 0-573-61894-1). In The Wire
S03E08, when a girl asked Marlo Stanfield
when he wants to meet, Marlo responded, "Five. And five mean five. I don't truck CP time. Five and change; I'm gone." There was also a mention of "CPT" in the television series "Prison Break
" by the character Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell.
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
of Afrian Americans as frequently being late.
In media
The phrase has been referenced numerous times in various types of media, including the films BamboozledBamboozled
Bamboozled is a 2000 satirical film written and directed by Spike Lee about a modern televised minstrel show featuring black actors donning blackface makeup and the violent fall-out from the show's success...
, Undercover Brother
Undercover Brother
Undercover Brother is a 2002 American comedy film starring Eddie Griffin and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The screenplay is by Michael McCullers and co-executive producer John Ridley, who created the original internet animation characters. It spoofs blaxploitation films of the 1970s as well as a...
, Let's Do It Again (1975 film)
Let's Do It Again (1975 film)
Let's Do It Again is a 1975 film starring Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby and Jimmie Walker. Poitier also directed. The film is about blue-collar workers who decide to rig a boxing match to raise money for their fraternal lodge...
, House Party (film)
House Party (film)
House Party is a 1990 American comedy film released by New Line Cinema. It stars Kid and Play of the popular hip hop duo Kid 'n Play, and also stars Paul Anthony, Bow-Legged Lou, and B-Fine from Full Force, and Robin Harris . The film also starred Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J...
and the television series' The Boondocks
The Boondocks (TV series)
The Boondocks is an American animated series created by Aaron McGruder on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, based on McGruder's comic strip of the same name...
, The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
, Where My Dogs At?
Where My Dogs At?
Where My Dogs At? was an animated program created by Aaron Matthew Lee and Jeffrey Ross that aired on MTV2 as part of its Sic'emation lineup.-Plot:...
, Reno 911, 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
, The PJs
The PJs
The PJs is an American stop-motion animated television series created by Eddie Murphy, Larry Wilmore, and Steve Tompkins. It portrayed life in an urban public housing project, modeled after the Brewster-Douglass housing projects in Detroit that once housed Diana Ross & Lilly Tomlin...
, Bridezillas, Mad TV
Mad TV
Mad TV may refer to:*MADtv, an American sketch comedy television series based on Mad magazine*Mad TV , a 1991 German television station management simulation game*MAD TV , a Greek music channel-See also:...
and Cedric the Entertainer Presents
Cedric the Entertainer Presents
Cedric the Entertainer Presents was an American sketch comedy television series starring Cedric the Entertainer. The series premiered September 18, 2002 on Fox and after the first season, Fox renewed the show for a second season but right before the show aired its second season, Fox canceled the...
and reality series' The Real Housewives of Atlanta
The Real Housewives of Atlanta
The Real Housewives of Atlanta is an American reality television series on the Bravo cable network that premiered in the fall of 2008. Following the format of its predecessors , in 2009 the Atlanta series was not only the highest rated show of the The Real Housewives of... franchise, it was the...
. There was also a 1960s public interest program produced by Detroit Public Television with the name Colored People's Time, as well as a 1980s play written by Leslie Lee which consisted of 13 vignettes of African American history from the Civil War through the Montgomery bus riots. (ISBN 0-573-61894-1). In The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
S03E08, when a girl asked Marlo Stanfield
Marlo Stanfield
Marlo "Black" Stanfield is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by actor Jamie Hector. Stanfield is a young, ruthless and ambitious player in the Baltimore drug trade who gains control of West Baltimore and is the head of his own drug crew.-Character background and plot...
when he wants to meet, Marlo responded, "Five. And five mean five. I don't truck CP time. Five and change; I'm gone." There was also a mention of "CPT" in the television series "Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
" by the character Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell.
In literature
The phrase may be found in the following literary texts:- Langston HughesLangston HughesJames Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
's poem "Dancer" in Montage of a Dream Deferred: "Even a great dancer can't C.P.T. a show." - Toni MorrisonToni MorrisonToni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...
's novel Jazz: "CPT! Surprise me for once, Joe Trace." - Sheila says, commenting on Joe's late arrival. - Nella LarsenNella LarsenNellallitea 'Nella' Larsen Nellallitea 'Nella' Larsen Nellallitea 'Nella' Larsen (born Nellie Walker (April 13, 1891 – March 30, 1964), was an American novelist of the Harlem Renaissance. She published two novels and a few short stories. Though her literary output was scant, what she wrote earned...
's novel "Passing".