after The Bean Eaters by Gwendolyn Brooks
I notice you referred to those people as “they”:
You mean different from you, foreigners, who eat
Funny food; not chicken nuggets or beans
On toast or pizza, and other stuff you mostly
Enjoy. You see, I am uncomfortable with this
Use of “they”; it dehumanizes, is an echo of old
Days and ways, when black, brown and yellow
Were all “they” (to those, like you, who never wanted for a pair
Of shoes, a warm coat, a hot dinner,
And a kind welcome); and whose wish is
To escape oppression and find a
Safe haven. That’s why I fear your casual
“They”. Let’s make this the end of this unfortunate affair.