Am I black with white stripes, or white with black stripes?

So there is this zebra who wants to know if he is black with white stripes or white with black stripes. He goes up to his brother and says, "Hey brother, am I black with white stripes or white with black stripes?" His brother says, "I don't know. You'll have to go ask dad."

So the zebra goes up to his dad and says, "Hey dad, am I black with white stripes or white with black stripes?" His dad says, "I don't know. You'll have to go ask the leader of the herd."

So the zebra goes up to the leader of the herd and says, "Hey leader, am I black with white stipes or white with black stipes?" The leader of the herd says, "I don't know. You'll have to go ask God. He lives on top of that mountain over there."

So the zebra starts heading up the mountain and runs into an old man coming down. The zebra asks the old man, "Are you God?" To which the old man replies, "No, but is there something I can help you with?" The zebra says, "I'm trying to figure out if I'm black with white stripes or white with black stripes." The old man says, "That is a perfect question for God. Let me know what he says."

So the zebra goes to the top of mountain and asks God, "Am I black with white stripes or white with black stripes?" God answers, "You are what you are."

So now the zebra is all sorts of confused, and he's thinking about this answer as he goes down the mountain, when he runs into the old man again, coming up. The old man says, "So? Are you black with white stripes or white with black stripes?" The zebra replies, "I don't know. All he said is, 'You are what you are.'" The old man says, "That must mean you're white with black stripes. If you were black with white stripes he would have said 'You is what you is.'"