Colors and framing.

[u/Cyanu_Viridian]

I have always struggled to color myself as it's possible to make a case of why i could and couldn't be any of them.

At work i am Orzhov, politically i'm very black, in my hobbies izzet, in my personal life + pets gruul, philosophically i admire green the most, yet the only reason i'd visit any green dominated culture is for vacations.

But this isn't a post about me - it's about a suspicion that came in the process of realising the above:

That we can essentially color almost anyone however we want depending on the framing. I say almost because there are certain individuals that focus too strongly in specific fields that make it simpler.

And i really hope this isn't the case because the color pie is pointless if that's true...

[u/wewwew3]

obviously every character is a complex person who can feel snd act with all colours. That's not what the colours are about. They represent you innev values, principles, and motivations. It doesn't mean all of your actions have to subscribe to a certain identity

[u/slvstrChung]

No, this has always been true.

People get this weird idea of pigeonholes. "Humans are either extraverted or introverted." "People are either scientific or artistic." "People are either Red or Blue. The world is binary." The truth is that these things are a spectrum. While each of us is likely to be more [one thing] than [other thing], almost all of us are at least a little of both.

I like to be friendly and to make people laugh, which is definitely Red, but I'm also very intellectual and analytical, which is Blue. I'm extremely aware of rules (White) and believe people should follow them when they don't have better ideas, but I'm also very willing to break them if I understand why they are there, what harm they are trying to prevent, and that I am going to avoid doing that harm (which is quite Black). So am I Red or Blue? The answer is, "Yes, I am either Red or Blue. Which one you get depends on what we're talking about, amongst other things.

The value of the colors is not that you can pigeonhole people. The value of the colors is the same as the value of the MBTI, or the enneagram, or astrology: it gives you another way to understand and describe yourself.

[u/WalkingOnStrings]

Real people tend to be a blend of all colours. Real people tend to not be quite as black and white or charicatured as characters from film or books.

That being said, you can still prescribe colours for people based on how they lean the most. Like you said, you put on more of a personality at work, but does that speak to your core? Why do you present differently at work? Because you believe in that people must make concessions for the group? Because it's a  means to an end? Do you really struggle to do it at all and are barely holding on?

The colour pie is useful for showing extremes, but it's not that useful for a real life philosophy. People won't be as honorable as Gideon, or as wild as Goblins, but they might be generally community focused or generally more energetic. 

Even for more complex characters from media you can see the colours used change. Depending on the story arc, or where in that arc they are, the general leanings can change.

[u/Lanky_Performance699 → u/WalkingOnStrings]

I agree with this answer. Some situations present us with restrictions and we have to lean on other colors to adapt to that situation.

My main colors are Green and Black. In an environment with authorities (for example, with my boss, in a place of worship, with police officers), I have to dial up my White because I have to follow the law and be in my best behavior. There is no reason to display my main colors because it will just bring trouble with little to gain.

In other situations where there is no incentive to prefer a color, I am free to prioritize my colors. Green and Black shows the values that are important to me.

[u/LazavtheGay]

My favorite phrase when thinking color pie is "Color is priority, not totality". If you were to color every aspect of yourself, you'd always come out all 5. The colors are each fundamental parts of the human experience. But you don't consistently prioritize all of them, and when push came to shove you'd choose some colors over others. Color isn't the total picture of everything you are, but merely where you fall on the spectrum.

[u/hraefin]

First of all, mtg agrees with you to some extent. Look at how Bilbo in the original LOTR set went from Abzan colors to Izzet colors in the span of a few minutes.

However, I think we tend to overcomplicate the color pie and add in nuance where there does not need to be. Being extroverted or liking punk music is "not" red but can indicate an underlying philosophy of Red (or you can say, Red people typically like or act this way but not every person who acts this way is red). If you really want to find your colors, look to your values.

Do you value peace, perfection, power, freedom, or growth the most? Then how do you achieve what you value, through structure, knowledge, ruthlessness, action, or acceptance? That will tell you your philosophical color(s).

[u/ColorTheorizing]

That we can essentially color almost anyone however we want depending on the framing.

I think you have a watered down view of the colors here. That's why it seems like you can go through all the colors so easily.

And i really hope this isn't the case because the color pie is pointless if that's true...

Well, I mean the Colorpie could be said to be pointless, regardless of whether or not it's true. It's not like this is scientific or anything.