Do colored belts in martial arts actually have any real meaning?

[Eric]

I've been reading on some Taekwondo websites and they're giving some retarded BS about the colors representing the growing of a tree. The American Taekwondo Association has the biggest load of bovine excrement I've read so far.
Take a look:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Taekwondo_Association#Songahm_Taekwondo

So, not counting the BS schools out there; as a teacher and instructor, does your belt colors mean anything? As only a practitioner, does your school's belt colors mean anything?

 

[TormentedJudoka]

The colored belt system origanated in judo. Read the wikipedia article on judo. Nowadays, belt colors dont mean anything. They give them out like candy.

 

[Karateka]

They don't really have any meaning. They're only there for organizational and goal setting purposes.

 

[Steven]

I don't think it means anything but a goal that is made in martial arts.

To me it is more about the martial artist and how the apply what they have learned that has any real meaning.

 

[Drizzt]

The colored belts are supposed to represent a white belt getting dirtier from training. When your belt is fully black from the dirt from all of the training you have done you have earned a black belt. The colors in between represent the varying shades of dirtiness.