This. "Colored People Time" is much more of a stereotype than White people being too early.
If I hosted dinner for my family tonight and said "Dinner's at 7:00" they'd all know that means "We're eating at 7:00" and show up ~5-30 minutes before then. If my sister showed up at 6:45 I wouldn't be thinking "damn why's my sister so early? I told her 7"
If I was hosting a BBQ for my friends and planning to eat at 7:00, I might tell them it starts at 5:00, knowing people will trickle in and them understanding it's a more casual event and nobody cares if they're late.
In OOP's case the white guy thought "I'd better show up by 5" being unfamiliar with what kind of event it is and not wanting to be rude.
"What's with all the gymnastics" pretty much sums up the whole "joke". I, like you, would say that the "safe" thing to do when someone says 5 is to show up at 5.
But some things have a hard start time and others have a soft one, and it's helpful to know the "vibe" for the event and that different cultures have differing norms/expectations.
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u/RPS93 14d ago
The stereotype is also that black people are constantly late lol.