diff --git a/main/src/ui/conversation_summary/merged_message_item.vala b/main/src/ui/conversation_summary/merged_message_item.vala
index 0270ef42..ec6b4f7b 100644
--- a/main/src/ui/conversation_summary/merged_message_item.vala
+++ b/main/src/ui/conversation_summary/merged_message_item.vala
@@ -42,20 +42,12 @@ public class MergedMessageItem : Grid {
         name_label.label = Util.get_message_display_name(stream_interactor, message, conversation.account);
 
         update_display_style();
-        message_text_view.style_updated.connect(style_changed);
-    }
-
-    private void style_changed() {
-        lock(message_text_view) {
-            message_text_view.style_updated.disconnect(style_changed);
-            update_display_style();
-            message_text_view.style_updated.connect(style_changed);
-        }
+        Util.force_base_background(message_text_view, "textview, text:not(:selected)");
+        message_text_view.style_updated.connect(update_display_style);
     }
 
     private void update_display_style() {
-        TextView tmp = new TextView();
-        RGBA bg = tmp.get_style_context().get_background_color(StateFlags.NORMAL);
+        RGBA bg = get_style_context().get_background_color(StateFlags.NORMAL);
         bool dark_theme = (bg.red < 0.5 && bg.green < 0.5 && bg.blue < 0.5);
 
         string display_name = Util.get_message_display_name(stream_interactor, messages[0], conversation.account);
@@ -64,8 +56,6 @@ public class MergedMessageItem : Grid {
         LinkButton lnk = new LinkButton("http://example.com");
         RGBA link_color = lnk.get_style_context().get_color(StateFlags.LINK);
         link_tag.foreground_rgba = link_color;
-
-        message_text_view.override_background_color(0, {0,0,0,0});
     }
 
     public void update() {
diff --git a/main/src/ui/conversation_summary/view.vala b/main/src/ui/conversation_summary/view.vala
index 87c553c5..2cf695b2 100644
--- a/main/src/ui/conversation_summary/view.vala
+++ b/main/src/ui/conversation_summary/view.vala
@@ -50,22 +50,7 @@ public class View : Box {
             return true;
         });
 
-        update_background_color();
-        this.style_updated.connect(style_changed);
-    }
-
-    private void update_background_color() {
-        TextView tmp = new TextView();
-        this.override_background_color(0, tmp.get_style_context().get_background_color(0));
-        main.override_background_color(0, tmp.get_style_context().get_background_color(0));
-    }
-
-    private void style_changed() {
-        lock (main) {
-            this.style_updated.disconnect(style_changed);
-            update_background_color();
-            this.style_updated.connect(style_changed);
-        }
+        Util.force_base_background(this);
     }
 
     public void initialize_for_conversation(Conversation? conversation) {
diff --git a/main/src/ui/util.vala b/main/src/ui/util.vala
index aad0817d..ec09609a 100644
--- a/main/src/ui/util.vala
+++ b/main/src/ui/util.vala
@@ -74,6 +74,22 @@ public class Util : Object {
         if (scale == 0) scale = image.get_scale_factor();
         image.set_from_surface(Gdk.cairo_surface_create_from_pixbuf(pixbuf, scale, image.get_window()));
     }
+
+    private const string force_background_css = "%s { background-color: %s; }";
+
+    public static void force_background(Gtk.Widget widget, string color, string selector = "*") {
+        var p = new Gtk.CssProvider();
+        try {
+            p.load_from_data(force_background_css.printf(selector, color));
+            widget.get_style_context().add_provider(p, Gtk.STYLE_PROVIDER_PRIORITY_APPLICATION);
+        } catch (GLib.Error err) {
+            // handle err
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static void force_base_background(Gtk.Widget widget, string selector = "*") {
+        force_background(widget, "@theme_base_color", selector);
+    }
 }
 
 }
\ No newline at end of file