I remember back in February of this year I was engaged in an online argument with two guys who fancy themselves as poets when I told one of them, "Yeah I'm just a young upstart showing up all you old pretentious white dudes." As soon as I told him as such, he immediately reverted to victim mode and proceeded to ask why color was brought into the conversation at all.
I like to remind all people regardless of color or creed that there is a pervasive sense of pretention that is rooted deeply in the psyche of a lot of the poetry scene, and not just in not relation to instapoetry. Most of these wannabe elite poets seem to hold the 'Old Ways' of proper English well and alive (completely oblivious to the fact that language evolves independently wherever it lands) and seem to think that any writer who rhymes in their poetry is not actually a poet. This inflated sense of ego also bleeds into other facets of the elite's lives as they often hold ageist, bigoted, or simply inflammatory views on poetry.
I always rally against instapoetry and those who participate in it, because frankly I don't think people like Rupi Kaur or Atticus should be held as geniuses or masterpieces for work so simple that teenagers could churn them out in droves. Much like I hold prejudices against instapoetry, these wannabe elites I refer to hold ANY poetry that is not strictly structured to an unrealistic standard of excellence. These elites hold true that only formally trained orators or writers can ever truly call themselves a 'poet'. Truth be told, a lot of these so-called elites are in fact old, bitter white men.
White supremacy (both implicit and explicit) is wildly popular in 2019-2020 when in fact in this day and age such outdated thinking should have been eradicated with polio, but no, now we get misinformed parents spreading fear campaigns against vaccinations, people defending a racist-ass president, and so much more I won't get into. White privilege is having access to an art form and trying to stop minorities from succeeding at it because it is a traditionally white-dominated art form. Privilege in general is avoiding problems associated with others due to the color of your skin or the advantages offered to you.
So, to have a group of likeminded (mostly if not exclusively old white men) individuals rally against me for my type of poetry - what would you call it? I call it explicit ageism mixed with implicit bigotry and an unhealthy dose of insecurity. I was told multiple times not to advertise my books, even though the website in question was a poetry blogging site. I even advised people to donate to this site, even after being accused of stealing by the privileged pricks in charge of the site. My point in rehashing all this, is that by bringing the issue of race into the argument with those two fools I referenced, I was accurately able to convey one of the main problems in the poetry world - passive racism masquerading as preservation of an art form.
When I say I don't like Rupi Kaur's work, it is not in the slightest because she is Indian or a woman (which is why most don't like her), like I said, I personally hate anyone that writes garbage and is praised as great - doesn't matter if it is Rupi Kaur, Atticus, Lil' Wayne, or anyone else. Color and creed do not play a factor in why I dislike another artist. I hate insincerity and idiocy that people can be paid for. I hate how these fake lyricists can make thousands of dollars for barely attempting skill, but real lyricists can struggle for their whole lives and never break the mold of money making.
When these pretentious elites say they don't like Rupi Kaur's work, it is because she is an Indian woman, and it is also because she can achieve what they can never do. In today's overly sensitive society, you can't even discuss lackluster artistry without being labeled a bigot, but in all honesty, the real bigots are the ones that try to tell us WHY we should write and HOW we should write. The ones that justify shitty behavior with an eloquent tongue only to still hold the same shield afterward. Beware the silver-tongued legends, many are snakes disguised as men.
When someone holds you down and tries to convince you your poetry is shit, don't believe it. A real writer lifts those up around him and inspires them as much as possible. Fake poets like to convince others of their own expertise and superiority. Real poets write regardless of fans, money, or other factors. Fake poets only write to make money, attention, or something that benefits them. Real poets teach what they know and help others refine through constructive criticism when asked. Fake poets preach what they think and hinder others by giving unsolicited criticism when no one asks them. The biggest difference between a real poet and a fake poet however, is a fake poet will always preach tradition while a real poet simply celebrates it.
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