A Bitter And Most Uncomfortable Truth

Karl Constantine FOLKES 1935 (Portland)



Atlantic Slave Trade.
Genesis of “The White Race.”
A social construct.
Of division and conquest.
Now accepted as “THE NORM.”

For subjugation.
By European gentry.
Of other peoples.
Labeled as “Minorities.”
To claim they are their masters.

Atlantic Slave Trade.
A Dark Age in history.
Years of infamy.
Chattel slavery enforced.
As law of many nations.

With passage of time.
Though some laws have been repealed.
The stain is retained.
The label “minority.”
Is rigorously enforced.

To keep all in check.
The label “minority.”
‘Must remain in place.’
Yet, a social construction.
Like the term “majority.”

This poem reveals.
An uncomfortable truth.
That “race” is contrived.
Solely to divide peoples.
And rule them as their masters.

How can this be changed?
By removal of the terms.
“Minor” and “Major.”
“Minority” is a stain.
“Majority” — bigger stain.

About this poem

A MOST UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH: The history of the invention of the label, “The White Race,” has been scrupulously documented and argued, recognizing it to be a social construction of white chauvinism, specifically associated with, and derived from, the Atlantic slave trade, the transatlantic slave trade, and the European-American slave trade during the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries; lasting for a period of more than three hundred years. Most specifically, the term “White Race” or “White People” entered the major European languages in the latter part of the seventeenth century, originating with the act of slavery being rationalized as an economic enterprise that justified enslavement of other people in the context of the Atlantic slave trade and the slavery of indigenous peoples (the “Native Americans”) in the Spanish Empire of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. The aftermath of this ignominious scourge on the entire world, still endures, as some cultural groups of world citizens continue to be labeled by laws and statutes as “Racial Minorities” and others (those affixing the labels) as “The Racial Majority.” When will we cease from enforcing and using those divisive labels? When will we ever learn to see and acknowledge the common identity of racial ONENESS and brotherhood as Homo Sapiens living alongside one another in human societies? The answer, my fellow earthlings, is blowing in the wind. 

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Written on November 24, 2022

Submitted by karlcfolkes on November 26, 2022

Modified by karlcfolkes on November 26, 2022

53 sec read
350

Quick analysis:

Scheme Abxxx cdexf Addgx xxxDg xDbcd xxxef xxxcc
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 903
Words 177
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Karl Constantine FOLKES

Retired educator of Jamaican ancestry with a lifelong interest in composing poetry dealing particularly with the metaphysics of self-reflection; completed a dissertation in Children’s Literature in 1991 at New York University entitled: An Analysis of Wilhelm Grimm’s “Dear Mili” Employing Von Franzian Methodological Processes of Analytical Psychology. The subject of the dissertation concerned the process of Individuation. more…

All Karl Constantine FOLKES poems | Karl Constantine FOLKES Books

57 fans

Discuss the poem A Bitter And Most Uncomfortable Truth with the community...

1 Comment
  • teril
    This certainly is an uncomfortable truth. But poetry enlightens, so thank you.
    LikeReply1 year ago

Translation

Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Citation

Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"A Bitter And Most Uncomfortable Truth" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/144890/a-bitter-and-most-uncomfortable-truth>.

Become a member!

Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

April 2024

Poetry Contest

Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
10
days
20
hours
41
minutes

Special Program

Earn Rewards!

Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

Browse Poetry.com

Quiz

Are you a poetry master?

»
Who is credited with creating the first poetry slam event?
A Victor Hugo
B Grand corps Malade
C Marc Smith
D Kerry James