Sorry, i think i confuse myself. I use Chrome and clicked the First Post icon which I think understand now as awarded but the words displayed in white telling me to make my first post to get that award.
Now, if i do the same in IE, the words displayed in black. In both cases, the background is dark grey.
So, could arguably say the words were not displayed in IE :-) but white in Chrome stands out.
Just thought I'll share this info.
Thanks for your reply anyway