In all fairness (a Quadrille)

~ paeansunplugged
(From Pexel)

tell me, is it fair
to judge my worth
based on the fairness
of my complexion
I was not given
an option to choose
my skin tone,
but you do have
a choice to
not be unfair
based on how
fair is my colour.

Written for dVerse. Today’s host Linda says: Write a Quadrille poem consisting of 44 words exactly (not including the title) in response to the challenge. The word today is ‘Fair’ and it must be used in some form within your poem.

76 thoughts on “In all fairness (a Quadrille)”

      1. I know it is, the fairer the skin the higher they rise in movies, sport, etc … and all those skin bleaching products, no idea what damage they must do 😦

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  7. it’s such a crazy thing – I worked for a year in NJ, USA with a group of predominantly African American coworkers, and they talked a lot about discrimination within their communities against darker skinned people!

    -David

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  11. Unavoidable in our culture, pretty much globally, this penetrating question, even as the unfairness persists. Funny how standards of beauty though transient from age to age, remain superficial.
    pax,
    dora

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  14. When considering the circumstances of others (over which they had/have no choice – race, nationality, hair color, intellect, etc.) my mother always intoned “There but for the grace of God go I” meaning we have no control and it is all in the hands of the Almighty. It was used to instill compassion, empathy, and a sense of standing up for others. That there is still so much prejudice saddens me. But with the diversity of appearances, no doubt everyone has felt this sting!

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  17. A wonderful poem, Punam. It sickens me that systems of oppression, such as racism, genderism, sexism, etc. still exist. Alas, they do, and understanding this reality as such, creates the possibility and space for real dialogue and actions grounded in their mitigation and eradication. Thank you for sharing this poem with us. ❤️

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    1. Oppression can take any form, as you mention, Jeff. Sadly, our fixation with fair skin has no fix.
      The word prompt was ‘ fair’ and my thoughts went in the direction of discrimination on the basis of skin colour.
      Thanks so much, Jeff. ❤️

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  20. Indeed it’s absolutely unfair to judge a person’s worth according to how fair they are or not. I say focus on personality, on heart instead! 💝💝

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  21. Well now you have done it…it has happened…the spark has ignited the fire…….and here goes my tirade!
    While I totally understand this angst about discrimination on the basis of color, caste, nationality, gender, sex-orientation etc etc etc….. I feel that the limit to which we are taking it is as unhealthy as the oppression itself.
    I say this as I hear the frustration among deserving people as they lose their jobs or are forced to behave differently because they were born in better circumstances or with white skin or full-bodied.
    Systemic discrimination is bad, I agree but there is hardly anyone who can say that they are not prejudiced at all! Each one of us comes with biases, pre-conceived notions, and ideas that we form based on previous experiences. It is the brain’s way of learning how to make decisions quickly – so that it is not taxed too much!
    I may look at someone with spectacles as immediately assume that they are intelligent thinkers
    You may look at a slightly chubby/fat person and think they are not very active
    None of these harmless biases are ALWAYS true!
    Women, in general, DO like professions that deal with people. Men, in general, DO life to do stuff with things. That does not mean that ALL women like to work with people and ALL men with things….
    The individual is what matters when dealing with individuals!
    But to try and correct the oppression that was/is meted out to one group of people (women, blacks, LGBTQ…, disabled or should I say differently-abled, old people) CANNOT be corrected by using the same (similar) oppression on others (reservations, 50-50 on company boards, having quotas for racial diversity)
    Long rant…..hope you don’t mind!

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    1. Shiwani, Shiwani…slow down! This was not at all all-encompassing unfairness. I was only making a limited point about how fairness(white colour) becomes the gold standard of everything and the disdain with which dark-skinned are treated.

      I don’t mind your rant at all! We should always give a voice to things that trouble us and I am in total agreement with you that meting out the same treatment is not the way forward.

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    1. Woke conversations are just that… conversations! Sadly, I don’t think this hang up will go anytime soon and skin lightening industry will continue to rake in moolah. Sigh…

      Thanks for reading.

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