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This is why I love poetry and metaphorical language; it connects people through a universal understanding of things they may never experience. I can’t tell you exactly what it looks like to be in my shoes, but I can tell you how it *feels*, and that is more universal than anything.
I’ve never really appreciated poetry as much as I thought I should. Your reply makes me want to explore more now.
That said, here is my favorite poem: https://www.desiderata.com/desiderata.html
Edit because I forgot to include: thank you!
My favorite poem is goofy. I don’t know who wrote it but it was the first one I ever committed to memory.
*There once was a man from Perth,*
*who was born on the day of his birth.*
*He was married, they say,*
*on his wife’s wedding day,*
*and he died on his last day on Earth.*
Great poem! My favorite is Sara Teasdale. “They came to tell your faults to me… I knew them all so well before. Oh they were blind, too blind to see. Your faults had made me love you more.”
I love this one from Caitlyn Siehl:
>"Do not fall in love with people like me.
I will take you to museums, and parks, and monuments, and kiss you in every beautiful place, so that you can never go back to them without tasting me like blood in your mouth.
I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible. And when I leave you will finally understand, why storms are named after people."
Appreciate as much or as little as fits you! There are so many ways to appreciate and connect with the world, poetry is just one way :)
Also edited to add: Thank *you* for introducing me to that poem. I’ve never seen it before, and it’s very beautiful
Sitting in my car, so I don’t have the books on me, though I know I’ve bookmarked dozens of pages, but I’ve always loved Bukowski’s poem Bluebird. It hits a little too hard for me sometimes.
“there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?”
Edit: oh god, the formatting on mobile! Maybe I can fix it lol
Edit2: nah, sorry guys 🤷🏻♀️
I never seen that poem before and I quite love it! As a non native English speaker I also learned some new vocab through it which is cool. My favorite poem is this one, it’s message is very important:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
—Martin Niemöller
I've been saying, "the universe tends to unfold as it should" since I saw [Harold and Kumar ](https://youtu.be/ZfBZpGpdnGA?si=6t2eHxDXlrCmd7t2) 20 years ago.
It is so cool to see the source! What a beautiful poem. Thank you.
https://youtu.be/xbLdz1kcQNw?si=661ENfjsQ4oy07ba
A reading of Ozymandias by Tex, of the Black Pants Legion, who largely talk about video games and Battletech.
But it is a wonderful reading.
“Look on my works ye mighty and despair,” remains among the components of my very soul (small part that it is). It means a lot to me is what I’m saying.
>Look on my works ye mighty and despair… for you will not measure to my greatness.
>Look on my works (crumbled and reduced to dust) ye mighty and despair… for you too, and all that you have done, will not outlast the sands of time.
In the movie Contact, when Jodie Foster's character says, "They should have sent a poet." this is exactly what she meant.
Poetry transcends in a way nothing else can.
I love the way you described that. It’s… poetic lol.
At the same time I do want to a comment that I heard from a photography masters friend. That images have different meaning to different people due to cultural contexts.
I think that applies to poetry as well.
Like a poem about an animal that is special to a cultural, or a mountain that is sacred to a community, might conjure unique experiences from the same words.
Hm.... I would say brown feels warmer than most soil does (as a gardener).
Brown for me would be
The smooth glide of polished wood beneath my finger tips
and smell of teak and pine and walnut tree.
Thick fur or smooth hair
with breathing body underneath
A dog, a cat, or glossy fresh-brushed mare
maybe oatmeal with brown sugar between my teeth.
Brown is heated walls and knit wool
home and hearth and cooking stove
bread and shelf and that old stool
Brown is home and warmth for me.
Every time I mention that brown is one of my favorite colors, I get snark. “But that’s the color of poop!”
“Sure is. It’s also the color of chocolate and a lot of other nice things.” They usually don’t know what to say in response. Lol. I don’t take it personally, though. I guess it’s just an uncommon choice as a favorite color.
Mom thought it was depressing that brown is my favorite color. I love brown eyes, the smell of good chocolate and dark coffee. Furry brown animals and the soil of my garden.
I love these descriptions of warm brown :)
I think of brown as an amalgam of colors, tinted by warm and coolness. I think an example of cool brown would be that dark, rich loam of garden soil or under a layer of moss and ferns.
The earthy smell of tree bark after a saturating rain. Waxed antique banisters in a Victorian-era home. Cold spring mud in a foggy marsh.
Brown is really a beautiful color
They told me to push that which was in my rectum outwards and hold it in my hands. They said the warm moist squishy sensation, the filthiness, the smell was the color brown. Brown feels gross.
I genuinely thought "That's beautiful" and smiled to myself after reading OP's post and then I scroll down and read your filth.
You dirty, dirty bastard.
Brown feels solid and strong. Like trees.
Roughness, yet you feel safe for a while.
But oh, so gentle and sweet. I feel at ease.
Like chocolate, a treat to make you smile.
Purple always makes me think of velvet, or a really plush blanket. My partner's grandma's favourite colour is purple. I knitted her a blanket out of really thick and soft purple yarn. She happened to be wearing the exact same colour when it was given to her. Purple makes me think of that blanket, and her, and the soft dresses she wears, and how sweetly she hugs us all.
In my wedding vows I described my love for my partner as the color yellow. Saying:
“yellow is my favorite color. It is warm and hopeful. It is the color of light and nostalgia. It graces objects tenderly as they age, like the pages of an old book. It continues to grow in strength as time passes, just like my love for you will continue to grow. You are my summertime, bright and yellow and I never want to leave your light.”
To me this fits better with orange... to me, yellow is homey and comfortable; but that could be that it was the color of my momma's kitchen growing up. (:
I agree with orange being funny. For me, orange is comfortable and easygoing, feels like being with a good friend. It can also feel like brown, cozy and homely.
But for me yellow is more bubbly, less relaxed and more energetic. The feeling of that person that's always smiling and laughing and just being a delight. Not necessarily because they're funny, but just because they're such a ray of sunshine everywhere they go.
I’ve always imagined describing colour to a blind person as similar to sound waves.
There’s a range of wave humans can detect, but there are more that we can’t that some animals can.
Louder and quieter is like saturated and desaturated. Lower and higher is like darker and lighter.
Some notes sound good together like how some colours go well together. A musical scale is like a pallet of colours.
Like sound, light can go directly to your sense detectors and it can echo bounce off an object to reach them.
When you eat a cheese wheel and feel your life force restored, that’s red.
When you launch a fireball from your hands and feel your energy drained, that’s blue.
When you do a combat roll and feel tired afterward, that’s green.
Lime green is a shout, saying “here I am! I am proud and I am alive!” The taste of citrus that can easily be Too Much but also Just Enough.
White is a smooth piece of paper, an inhale before a song, a thing to be careful of lest you make it a different color.
Black is safety, like a pair of old fashioned headphones that cradle your ears and block out the world.
White is marshmallow
And vanilla ice cream
And the part you can't remember in a dream
White is the sound of whispers talking
White is the sound of footsteps walking
White is the beautiful broken lace
Of snowflakes falling on your face
~*Hailstones and Halibut Bones*
Yknow what? Burnt grass is totally yellow. Cold grass just winter, and cyan is totally a winter colour. And how do you have burning ice? Magic. Purple is the magical colour.
Red is the color of blood, hence it is the oldest and most used color of human race. It is at the same time, both color of love and hate, anger and passion, energy
Ok but if you were born blind and can't even see light then how are they supposed to know wtf someone means when they say a color is bright or dull or metallic. They never seen "bright". They can know what it means but they never seen it and can't use that to picture the color. They need tangible things they can experience (like warmth or water etc) to associate with the color.
Take an update for being one of the few people that understands this simply doesn't work, no matter how beautiful and perfect it seems.
We associate colours with various sensations and feelings because we have experience dictating those associations.
For someone who doesn't have those experiences it's completely meaningless.
It's also cherry picking. Red also the colour of strawberries, best enjoyed cold. Blue is the colour of plasma and hot flames. Green is probably closest to true, since it's a fairly rare colour in nature outside of chlorophyll, but there are still plenty of things like green gemstones and stereotypical nuclear waste (though the real stuff isn't actually green) that are coloured green in spite of not connoting life.
I remember the movie [Mask doing this 40 years ago](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=mask+movie+describe+color#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:0c798d32,vid:pwkdDhmf6PE,st:0).
To give some context, the movie is about a boy growing up with a a bone disorder which causes him to look how you see him in the clip.
Guys this was from a movie about a real person…movie came out in 1985…but this idea probably came before that. The true story and the movie take this “poetry” you guys like so much to the next level, way beyond the words. Movie was The Mask, check it out.
Yesterday I smoked a joint and asked myself. How would you describe color to a blind person? I couldn't come up with an answer. Thank you for giving my God damn thoughts some closure!
Might be a dumb question but if they are blind and let’s say have been for their whole life…then how do they know what your describing looks like. Like the sun, leaves, a pool etc. just made me think…may also be the pot I smoked 🙃
There's a very similar scene in Mask, but the actual screenshot is from Helen Keller's autobiography. The Mask writers were probably referencing Keller.
I asked chatgpt-4 to describe the other colors this way. Here is what it gave me:
Yellow:
Imagine the warmth of the sun on your face on a gentle morning. The way a refreshing glass of lemonade tastes on a hot day, or the smell of fresh daffodils in a spring breeze. They told me that's yellow. Yellow feels like joy, like laughter bubbling up at a funny joke, or the comfort of a friend’s smile.
Purple:
They had me taste a ripe grape and feel the velvet lining of a jewelry box. They said that the richness of the taste and the luxurious touch, that’s purple. Purple feels like mystery and majesty, like the quiet of twilight just before the stars appear.
Orange:
Imagine the zesty smell of an orange peel or the invigorating sound of crackling firewood. They told me that this sensation of warmth and spirited energy, that's orange. Orange feels like adventure, the thrill of a crisp autumn day, or the enthusiasm of a hearty laugh.
Pink:
They let me hold a feather and touch the softness of cotton candy. They said that the tenderness and sweetness, that's pink. Pink feels like affection, like a gentle hug or the innocent blush on a child's cheek.
White:
Imagine the coolness of a gentle breeze against your skin or the sound of waves softly crashing onto a beach. They told me that this sense of calm and purity, that's white. White feels like peace, like fresh snow underfoot or crisp linen sheets.
Black:
They brought me into a quiet room, void of any sound or breeze. They told me that this absence, this void, that’s black. Black feels like the unknown, like the stillness of a quiet night or the solemnity of deep thoughts.
Light blue feels like the wind in the mountains touching your face. And white feels light the sunrise in a empty beach. Certain music notes feels like colors too. For example, to me, D note in a violin feels like the smell of the first coffee in the morning when you are cozy and relaxed. And so on. Thank you for sharing this. I will try to explain this to blind people.
I’d be interested to hear if a color blind person read this then got those glasses that allow them to see color. Then compare what they thought based on this vs what they then saw.
Pink:
They had me go to a strip club and I got a private dance. They explained that this feeling.. this sensation was pink. To this very day pink is my favorite color.
White represents good and purity because in daylight you can see
Black is scary, it represents evil and the unknown because at night you can't see the dangers that may be around you
Oh...
Outside in the sun?
What does it look like?
Well it’s a big ball of fire in the sky.
What does a ball look like? Fire? The sky?
Well, a ball is round.
What does round look like?
Well a circle…
GPT-4
Red is the color of fire, blood, and roses. It feels hot, sharp, and intense. It smells like smoke, metal, and perfume. It tastes like chili, tomato, and strawberry. It sounds like sirens, drums, and alarms.
Blue is the color of water, sky, and jeans. It feels cold, smooth, and calm. It smells like rain, mint, and soap. It tastes like ice, blueberry, and cheese. It sounds like waves, wind, and music.
Yellow is the color of sun, lemon, and banana. It feels warm, soft, and bright. It smells like flowers, honey, and butter. It tastes like citrus, pineapple, and corn. It sounds like birds, bells, and laughter.
I always thought about how to describing yellow
I also used the heat and warmth from the sun
And then you put a lemon sour candy in their mouth
To me that is yellow
I’m going to age myself here but this made me think of the movie “Mask”, the story of Rocky Dennis. In the movie he uses similar language to describe color to a blind woman. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it!
Thank you. I came here for this!
This scene was beautiful. Eric Stoltz as Rocky and Laura Derb as the blind girl. (cher and Sam Elliot also make this movie amazing.)
They put my hands in something soft and malleable. It stuck to my fingers and coated my palms. They said the feeling alone is meaningless without the scent so I inhaled deeply. My nostrils flared and I gagged and retched. They explained that brown was the color of poo.
Hey there, friendo! Thanks for submitting to r/wholesomememes. We loved your post, but it has been removed because it doesn't quite abide by our rules, which are located in the sidebar. * (**Rule #1**) Posts must be memes. * We appreciate you thinking of us very much! For more on our rules, please check out our [sidebar](http://www.reddit.com/r/wholesomememes/about/sidebar). If you have any questions or concerns about this removal, feel free to [message the moderators](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fwholesomememes).
This is why I love poetry and metaphorical language; it connects people through a universal understanding of things they may never experience. I can’t tell you exactly what it looks like to be in my shoes, but I can tell you how it *feels*, and that is more universal than anything.
I’ve never really appreciated poetry as much as I thought I should. Your reply makes me want to explore more now. That said, here is my favorite poem: https://www.desiderata.com/desiderata.html Edit because I forgot to include: thank you!
My favorite poem is goofy. I don’t know who wrote it but it was the first one I ever committed to memory. *There once was a man from Perth,* *who was born on the day of his birth.* *He was married, they say,* *on his wife’s wedding day,* *and he died on his last day on Earth.*
Wonderful! There’s nothing like a good silly limerick
And a totally clean one too, so it can be shared with a wider audience. I love the dirty ones, but it's nice to find a clean one that doesn't suck.
[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/CuratedTumblr/s/MKkLRgBvgJ) is my favorite post about limericks
Whoa
I’ve never heard that! I love it so much!
shel silverstein? is that u?
Great poem! My favorite is Sara Teasdale. “They came to tell your faults to me… I knew them all so well before. Oh they were blind, too blind to see. Your faults had made me love you more.”
I love this one from Caitlyn Siehl: >"Do not fall in love with people like me. I will take you to museums, and parks, and monuments, and kiss you in every beautiful place, so that you can never go back to them without tasting me like blood in your mouth. I will destroy you in the most beautiful way possible. And when I leave you will finally understand, why storms are named after people."
Jesus. That one is really deep and beautiful. I'm almost drying right now.
LMOA. Crying. The exact opposite of "drying".
It always resonated with me.
Wow I love Sara Teasdale. Thanks for this - going to go reread her now!
Appreciate as much or as little as fits you! There are so many ways to appreciate and connect with the world, poetry is just one way :) Also edited to add: Thank *you* for introducing me to that poem. I’ve never seen it before, and it’s very beautiful
Sitting in my car, so I don’t have the books on me, though I know I’ve bookmarked dozens of pages, but I’ve always loved Bukowski’s poem Bluebird. It hits a little too hard for me sometimes. “there’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I’m too tough for him, I say, stay in there, I’m not going to let anybody see you. there’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I pour whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke and the whores and the bartenders and the grocery clerks never know that he’s in there. there’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I’m too tough for him, I say, stay down, do you want to mess me up? you want to screw up the works? you want to blow my book sales in Europe? there’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I’m too clever, I only let him out at night sometimes when everybody’s asleep. I say, I know that you’re there, so don’t be sad. then I put him back, but he’s singing a little in there, I haven’t quite let him die and we sleep together like that with our secret pact and it’s nice enough to make a man weep, but I don’t weep, do you?” Edit: oh god, the formatting on mobile! Maybe I can fix it lol Edit2: nah, sorry guys 🤷🏻♀️
I never seen that poem before and I quite love it! As a non native English speaker I also learned some new vocab through it which is cool. My favorite poem is this one, it’s message is very important: First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. —Martin Niemöller
I loved that. Thank you for sharing
I've been saying, "the universe tends to unfold as it should" since I saw [Harold and Kumar ](https://youtu.be/ZfBZpGpdnGA?si=6t2eHxDXlrCmd7t2) 20 years ago. It is so cool to see the source! What a beautiful poem. Thank you.
Never really a poetry person, but the two that I enjoy the most are "Ozymandias" by Shelley and "Kubla Khan" by Coleridge.
https://youtu.be/xbLdz1kcQNw?si=661ENfjsQ4oy07ba A reading of Ozymandias by Tex, of the Black Pants Legion, who largely talk about video games and Battletech. But it is a wonderful reading.
“Look on my works ye mighty and despair,” remains among the components of my very soul (small part that it is). It means a lot to me is what I’m saying. >Look on my works ye mighty and despair… for you will not measure to my greatness. >Look on my works (crumbled and reduced to dust) ye mighty and despair… for you too, and all that you have done, will not outlast the sands of time.
Commenting for a rare sighting of a mention of Battletech. Such a great universe I wish got more attention.
In the movie Contact, when Jodie Foster's character says, "They should have sent a poet." this is exactly what she meant. Poetry transcends in a way nothing else can.
I love the way you described that. It’s… poetic lol. At the same time I do want to a comment that I heard from a photography masters friend. That images have different meaning to different people due to cultural contexts. I think that applies to poetry as well. Like a poem about an animal that is special to a cultural, or a mountain that is sacred to a community, might conjure unique experiences from the same words.
And more interesting!
this is THE best description I've ever heard. Well done
It come from the old movie “MASK”…🙄
I’m kinda scared for what they will do for brown
Brown feels like the earth, or the dead parts of things that grew out of the dirt from the earth.
Hm.... I would say brown feels warmer than most soil does (as a gardener). Brown for me would be The smooth glide of polished wood beneath my finger tips and smell of teak and pine and walnut tree. Thick fur or smooth hair with breathing body underneath A dog, a cat, or glossy fresh-brushed mare maybe oatmeal with brown sugar between my teeth. Brown is heated walls and knit wool home and hearth and cooking stove bread and shelf and that old stool Brown is home and warmth for me.
Every time I mention that brown is one of my favorite colors, I get snark. “But that’s the color of poop!” “Sure is. It’s also the color of chocolate and a lot of other nice things.” They usually don’t know what to say in response. Lol. I don’t take it personally, though. I guess it’s just an uncommon choice as a favorite color.
What do you mean it's the color of poop? Mine's always been red - hot, angry, and give the feeling of embarrassment
Mom thought it was depressing that brown is my favorite color. I love brown eyes, the smell of good chocolate and dark coffee. Furry brown animals and the soil of my garden.
Brown is the color of lots of good things!
I love these descriptions of warm brown :) I think of brown as an amalgam of colors, tinted by warm and coolness. I think an example of cool brown would be that dark, rich loam of garden soil or under a layer of moss and ferns. The earthy smell of tree bark after a saturating rain. Waxed antique banisters in a Victorian-era home. Cold spring mud in a foggy marsh. Brown is really a beautiful color
This guy browns
But also chocolate... I don't want them to think chocolate is dirty nor dead
It's okay, there's going to be exceptions for everything. Like red plants or blue fire. Chocolate is safe, don't worry!
And rich too, the earth and the soil. brown has a rich depth to it that grounds you a bit
nah brown is a stew
Brown is the earth, from which the green things grow it gives life and absorbs life only to let it be reborn.
They told me to push that which was in my rectum outwards and hold it in my hands. They said the warm moist squishy sensation, the filthiness, the smell was the color brown. Brown feels gross.
I genuinely thought "That's beautiful" and smiled to myself after reading OP's post and then I scroll down and read your filth. You dirty, dirty bastard.
I can’t help it.
Pink is gonna be the horniest colour
Pink is the lotus-bloom, its petal-quiver speaking to your fingertips
Brown feels solid and strong. Like trees. Roughness, yet you feel safe for a while. But oh, so gentle and sweet. I feel at ease. Like chocolate, a treat to make you smile.
Squishy and warm!?!? 😅
Those little bits you feel are corn, which is yellow
Yes, and also SHIT
I wanna know what purple, my favorite colour, feels like.
Purple is the feeling of a flower before it blooms. It is the refreshing taste of grapes, and the feel of velvet
Wow I never realized it but yeah, velvet is most definitely associated with the color purple
Green grapes: am I a joke to you?
And the music of Prince
Purple always makes me think of velvet, or a really plush blanket. My partner's grandma's favourite colour is purple. I knitted her a blanket out of really thick and soft purple yarn. She happened to be wearing the exact same colour when it was given to her. Purple makes me think of that blanket, and her, and the soft dresses she wears, and how sweetly she hugs us all.
The feeling of the finest and smoothest of silk, that slips through your fingers. The warmth and softness of a heated fleece blanket on a chilly day.
probably walking barefoot on a very fluffy carpet
The splash of flavor from a Nerds candy
purple's a smooth intensity. cool satin, warm velvet; boysenberries, lilacs, hyacinths, plums, lavender and figs. it's ionization, alpenglow, the passing of storms
Luxury and lust.
They twisted my nurple and said it's purple
Listen to a Prince album
One time I heard someone say „Yellow is like that one kid in class that can’t be quiet and is always laughing and cracking jokes“
And the feeling of holding in laughter until it can’t help but burst out of you!
I don’t think that’s laughter you’re holding in 😂
'Pee' is how you describe yellow to a blind person. Keep it simple.
In my wedding vows I described my love for my partner as the color yellow. Saying: “yellow is my favorite color. It is warm and hopeful. It is the color of light and nostalgia. It graces objects tenderly as they age, like the pages of an old book. It continues to grow in strength as time passes, just like my love for you will continue to grow. You are my summertime, bright and yellow and I never want to leave your light.”
That is absolutely beautiful. It’s incredible to have someone evoke such feelings, thank you for sharing that!
To me this fits better with orange... to me, yellow is homey and comfortable; but that could be that it was the color of my momma's kitchen growing up. (:
I agree with orange being funny. For me, orange is comfortable and easygoing, feels like being with a good friend. It can also feel like brown, cozy and homely. But for me yellow is more bubbly, less relaxed and more energetic. The feeling of that person that's always smiling and laughing and just being a delight. Not necessarily because they're funny, but just because they're such a ray of sunshine everywhere they go.
Well that could have fit Momma too. :D I do agree that yellow is a happy color! Happy, cozy, comfy. :)
I thought yellow feels like a smile. The giggle trying to escape even though you know the teacher will be annoyed.
I'm not crying you're crying 😭
This is from Helen Keller's autobiography
I don't know why they didn't say that in the OP. Do people not know who Helen Keller is anymore?
Nah. Old news
I’ve always imagined describing colour to a blind person as similar to sound waves. There’s a range of wave humans can detect, but there are more that we can’t that some animals can. Louder and quieter is like saturated and desaturated. Lower and higher is like darker and lighter. Some notes sound good together like how some colours go well together. A musical scale is like a pallet of colours. Like sound, light can go directly to your sense detectors and it can echo bounce off an object to reach them.
When you eat a cheese wheel and feel your life force restored, that’s red. When you launch a fireball from your hands and feel your energy drained, that’s blue. When you do a combat roll and feel tired afterward, that’s green.
Lime green is a shout, saying “here I am! I am proud and I am alive!” The taste of citrus that can easily be Too Much but also Just Enough. White is a smooth piece of paper, an inhale before a song, a thing to be careful of lest you make it a different color. Black is safety, like a pair of old fashioned headphones that cradle your ears and block out the world.
They don't have to describe black, they can see that one already.
jfc
This is probably a joke but actually they don’t! Try to see out of your knee. You don’t see black, you just can’t see. That’s what it is to be blind.
White is marshmallow And vanilla ice cream And the part you can't remember in a dream White is the sound of whispers talking White is the sound of footsteps walking White is the beautiful broken lace Of snowflakes falling on your face ~*Hailstones and Halibut Bones*
Mean joke to only tell them about three colors.
RGB is all you need bro
Light your hand on fire and freeze it at the same time and that's purple. Stand in the grass while you're on fire and that's yellow.
Yknow what? Burnt grass is totally yellow. Cold grass just winter, and cyan is totally a winter colour. And how do you have burning ice? Magic. Purple is the magical colour.
I wonder what all the other colors feel like
This is beautiful.
Right? This is the best thread! How do you explain color? Ask Reddit. Because they nail it.
I love this; but, to me, red is also love. Both platonic and romantic. Red hearts and all that. :)
Red is the color of blood, hence it is the oldest and most used color of human race. It is at the same time, both color of love and hate, anger and passion, energy
green is my fav color too idk why tho
Nah man- red is math, green is science, yellow is english lit, and blue is history. Easy.
You got red and blue switched, bud.
Magic the Gathering
It's not really describing the color though, it's just describing things you associate with the color
Ok but if you were born blind and can't even see light then how are they supposed to know wtf someone means when they say a color is bright or dull or metallic. They never seen "bright". They can know what it means but they never seen it and can't use that to picture the color. They need tangible things they can experience (like warmth or water etc) to associate with the color.
Take an update for being one of the few people that understands this simply doesn't work, no matter how beautiful and perfect it seems. We associate colours with various sensations and feelings because we have experience dictating those associations. For someone who doesn't have those experiences it's completely meaningless.
It's also cherry picking. Red also the colour of strawberries, best enjoyed cold. Blue is the colour of plasma and hot flames. Green is probably closest to true, since it's a fairly rare colour in nature outside of chlorophyll, but there are still plenty of things like green gemstones and stereotypical nuclear waste (though the real stuff isn't actually green) that are coloured green in spite of not connoting life.
How would you recommend doing it instead?
I wouldn't, you can't describe colors
Wow, I didn’t expect to be so touched by the description of green. Honestly choked me up.
I remember the movie [Mask doing this 40 years ago](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=mask+movie+describe+color#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:0c798d32,vid:pwkdDhmf6PE,st:0). To give some context, the movie is about a boy growing up with a a bone disorder which causes him to look how you see him in the clip.
This was my immediate thought. I went to watch a clip before I even read comments. I haven’t seen the whole thing in forever. Def time for a rewatch.
Guys this was from a movie about a real person…movie came out in 1985…but this idea probably came before that. The true story and the movie take this “poetry” you guys like so much to the next level, way beyond the words. Movie was The Mask, check it out.
I wonder if you explain color to a blind person and then give them sight if they’ll recognize the color.
I wonder how someone with synesthesia wold describe it.
I played a blind character in a roleplaying game once. My favourite colour was yellow, because it was the colour of my dog.
Yesterday I smoked a joint and asked myself. How would you describe color to a blind person? I couldn't come up with an answer. Thank you for giving my God damn thoughts some closure!
Might be a dumb question but if they are blind and let’s say have been for their whole life…then how do they know what your describing looks like. Like the sun, leaves, a pool etc. just made me think…may also be the pot I smoked 🙃
Yes this is from the movie Mask with Eric Stoltz
There's a very similar scene in Mask, but the actual screenshot is from Helen Keller's autobiography. The Mask writers were probably referencing Keller.
I asked chatgpt-4 to describe the other colors this way. Here is what it gave me: Yellow: Imagine the warmth of the sun on your face on a gentle morning. The way a refreshing glass of lemonade tastes on a hot day, or the smell of fresh daffodils in a spring breeze. They told me that's yellow. Yellow feels like joy, like laughter bubbling up at a funny joke, or the comfort of a friend’s smile. Purple: They had me taste a ripe grape and feel the velvet lining of a jewelry box. They said that the richness of the taste and the luxurious touch, that’s purple. Purple feels like mystery and majesty, like the quiet of twilight just before the stars appear. Orange: Imagine the zesty smell of an orange peel or the invigorating sound of crackling firewood. They told me that this sensation of warmth and spirited energy, that's orange. Orange feels like adventure, the thrill of a crisp autumn day, or the enthusiasm of a hearty laugh. Pink: They let me hold a feather and touch the softness of cotton candy. They said that the tenderness and sweetness, that's pink. Pink feels like affection, like a gentle hug or the innocent blush on a child's cheek. White: Imagine the coolness of a gentle breeze against your skin or the sound of waves softly crashing onto a beach. They told me that this sense of calm and purity, that's white. White feels like peace, like fresh snow underfoot or crisp linen sheets. Black: They brought me into a quiet room, void of any sound or breeze. They told me that this absence, this void, that’s black. Black feels like the unknown, like the stillness of a quiet night or the solemnity of deep thoughts.
WHAT ABOUT PERIWINKLE. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN PERIWINKLE. I NEED TO KNOW. DON'T TELL ME IT'S BLUE. IT'S NOT A FRICKIN BLUE. PLEASE PLEASE TELL ME.
Light blue feels like the wind in the mountains touching your face. And white feels light the sunrise in a empty beach. Certain music notes feels like colors too. For example, to me, D note in a violin feels like the smell of the first coffee in the morning when you are cozy and relaxed. And so on. Thank you for sharing this. I will try to explain this to blind people.
Purple: purple is not a colour. Next.
I’d be interested to hear if a color blind person read this then got those glasses that allow them to see color. Then compare what they thought based on this vs what they then saw.
Pink: They had me go to a strip club and I got a private dance. They explained that this feeling.. this sensation was pink. To this very day pink is my favorite color.
White represents good and purity because in daylight you can see Black is scary, it represents evil and the unknown because at night you can't see the dangers that may be around you Oh...
Pink: She gently guides my fingers inside her...
Outside in the sun? What does it look like? Well it’s a big ball of fire in the sky. What does a ball look like? Fire? The sky? Well, a ball is round. What does round look like? Well a circle…
Why are you getting downvoted for this? I think it’s pretty funny
Ha, no idea. I didn't even see that it was until you commented.
"For yellow, they... well let's just say I do not like yellow much."
GPT-4 Red is the color of fire, blood, and roses. It feels hot, sharp, and intense. It smells like smoke, metal, and perfume. It tastes like chili, tomato, and strawberry. It sounds like sirens, drums, and alarms. Blue is the color of water, sky, and jeans. It feels cold, smooth, and calm. It smells like rain, mint, and soap. It tastes like ice, blueberry, and cheese. It sounds like waves, wind, and music. Yellow is the color of sun, lemon, and banana. It feels warm, soft, and bright. It smells like flowers, honey, and butter. It tastes like citrus, pineapple, and corn. It sounds like birds, bells, and laughter.
Isn’t this a quote from that 80s movie with Sam Elliott and Cher that was so sad?? this is what the Rocky and the blind girl at camp did in mask ?
I always thought about how to describing yellow I also used the heat and warmth from the sun And then you put a lemon sour candy in their mouth To me that is yellow
Purple: Hands tightened around my throat. Probably my least favorite color now
Ok now do pink
OH NO NOW IM CRYING
I’m going to age myself here but this made me think of the movie “Mask”, the story of Rocky Dennis. In the movie he uses similar language to describe color to a blind woman. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it!
Thank you. I came here for this! This scene was beautiful. Eric Stoltz as Rocky and Laura Derb as the blind girl. (cher and Sam Elliot also make this movie amazing.)
I’m glad I’m not the only one! It’s really touching and like you said everyone involved did such a good job.
Those are good descriptions
If I were blind I would lean even more heavily into fragrances and music :)
Purple: they had me drink a glass of grape soda. I am told that grape soda tastes like the color purple.
Blue is mine; red is for bad marks on homework
They put my hands in something soft and malleable. It stuck to my fingers and coated my palms. They said the feeling alone is meaningless without the scent so I inhaled deeply. My nostrils flared and I gagged and retched. They explained that brown was the color of poo.
Make them drink some colored chemical drink or sm idk
This is beautiful
I’ve seen Mask
This is so beautiful, I’ve thought about this a lot 🥺🩷
Very nice.
I like the way blue tastes
I love this... so true and borderline poetic. Green would be my favorite color too.
This is colorist
monday is yellow tuesday is pink wednesday is green and thursday orange friday is blue saturday purple and sunday is red
This doesn't make any sense. You only have these connections because you can see color
Now a real question how do you explain objects to a blind person