My mom and I always get into arguments like that. I have a much broader term for "black" than she does. For me, there's neutral [grey] black, green-black, red-black, and blue-black. But she often likes to lump together what I see as the green and grey-blacks, and considers any blue-black (no matter how dark) to be navy blue.
One frequent debate that I've noticed has to do with violets. Some people like to agree with the poem that says "violets are blue," while other people insist that, like their name, violets are decidedly violet (purple). I usually try to get people to meet in the middle and just agree on "indigo," if they'll go for it. But a lot of it depends on the lighting:
vs.
as for perception, color blindness would certainly be a factor, too. I wonder if there are color blind synesthetes?
appleghost The striped "1" is kind of symbolic. I see it as a red-black. If you've ever seen something colored in black pen ink, and then tilt it into the light, there's usually a metallic red sheen that appears. That's how 1 shows up to me (which is why I could never decide if it should be black or red).
It'll be cool to see your perception of the alphabet!
mervi Good points as usual. The idea that people see colors completely differently was one of my favorite "philosophical discoveries" when I was younger. Interestingly enough, it seems to be an idea that many people come to understand on their own, as opposed to being introduced to it.
I should really try being blind for a week. I have degenerative retinas, which I recently got laser eye surgery to correct (by fixing the holes in my retina). My chances of going blind are much higher than most peoples' (probably won't be until I'm in my 60s), so I should really make the most of my sight while I have it.