Reparations for slavery?

Im curious about the topic of reparartions for African Amercians who can prove that their ancestory were slaves during early stages of America. I personally don't think it is a bad idea to have a tax that would pool everyones money together to cover the reparations. Please post your opinions. Convince me otherwise.

I strongly disagree. I don't think they should get any money just because their ancestors were slaves. This is a new day, African Americans for the most part are treated equally now, or even better considering 'affirmitive action' and the 'black college fund' etc. IMO

I think many (not all) African Americans still use the 'race card' even when it's not warranted. It's very different in Canada than it is in the US though.

White people were slaves in history too...

Hello, canucker.
Good point. AffirmativeAction voids this debate for the most part. It has been an effective tool for increased equality.

Well that's another issue. I disagree with Affirmitive Action, but I won't go there...

I mean, where do you stop? I ain't gonna start shellin' out because my Viking ancestors did all that nasty in England and Ireland. Europe isn't going to make payouts over The Crusades. It's a dumb idea. History is history.

Yeah. I agree. Why should we pay for something we weren't personally responisble for? Figfarmer's right... if this flies, how far back can you go to place blame?

There are far too many problems with having cotemporary measures applied to past transgressions. Firstly, how does one rectify the fact that historical acts are sometimes governed by contextual mindsets? For instance, wasn’t racism a component of Antebellum United States? Weren’t women persecuted? Wasn’t Anti-Semitism a cultural norm in late medieval and early modern Europe? Is it right? Of course not, but how do you assess blame for 200 hundred year old mistakes (slavery, of course, is a despicable act – that’s not in contention)? Seems that apologies should and have been offered, but money? I’m not sure that addresses the historical issue.

Secondly, why should African-Americans become the exclusive group for reparations? What about Jews? What about indentured servants? What about the Irish? What about Women? Haven’t these “groups” faced institutionalized bigotry too? Why limit it to one?

Thirdly, why should the United States be the only nation-state named in the reparations movement? Where are the European slave-trading nations? What about the African tribes that also sold slaves to European slave traders? Why aren’t they culpable as well?

Too many unanswered questions.

I agree that it's un-necessary, and it would open the floodgates. For instance, if we give reparations for offenses that happened a couple hundred years ago, what would we do with those who feel oppressed now? I know a few Frenchmen who think they are just as oppressed as African Americans. I also think they're out of their minds, but you get my point.

I'll give you two Gastons and a Pierre for a Marie and a young fertile Suzette.

I also disagree with reparations.
In the present day, Black people have just as many opportunities to get as far as their white counterparts. It's what we do with those opportunities that makes the difference. I think that if we could (and I say we very generally 'cause most of the people I know don't think like that, but I digress...)I think that if we could stop living in the past for a sec, we’ll see just how good we have it (or could have it if we applied ourselves). I can't stand it when some people sit on their asses and say "oh yeah, I can’t get a job ‘cause my ancestors were slaves!!!! I’m not doing well because I’m black! Society owes me!" The guy that owns the building my company's located at is a holocaust survivor who witnesses his entire family die in the holocaust. Sure he's agnostic now and he's getting a little senile repeating the same stories and jokes over and over again without realizing he's told them a hundred times, but he's a sweet old man who's done really well for himself (without reparations I might add). There are millions of success stories in America, be it black, jewish and even the recently controversial oppressed group: homosexuals (hey California's the gay capital of America and trust me, it's fashionable to be gay!

) To those who just whine and whine and whine, I say "Get out there, get yourself educated, learn a trade, something...go out there and make yourself competitive instead of expecting that reparations will miraculously fix everything." There are people out there making it work. We can now say we are the captains of our own ships…let’s act like it!

The race card thing isn't effective anymore because the world has grown way beyond slavery. The civil rights mov't was successful! We have the rights we fought for! We have the opportunities! Heck societal views have changed and a lot of people now see beyond color! Celebrate that and move on! Sure racism still exists to an extent, but it exists on both sides of the fence. Difference is that in the present day, it is not as crippling. It’s just a handful of people still stuck in the past (including those who say “I can’t get a job because I’m black…). Black doesn’t stop you from making something of yourself if you want to. If you walk in somewhere acting ignorant, you'll be treated as ignorant. If you walk in with confidence, you'll be treated as someone with competence. If you walk in somewhere and the first thing you present is your blackness or jewishness or gayness, whatever! that's the first thing people will see and whatever pre-conceived notions they have of that group will come into play. If you walk in and the first thing you present is you, your personality, and whatever skills you have to offer, the first thing they see is the person, everything else becomes an after thought. I moved to LA with three girlfriends (two were white and one was bi (racial) not (sexual)! like me) and in the early days (yeah, I'm talking like I'm really old. Hehe

), we would joke about me being a "job-whore" 'cause while we were all trying to get decent jobs, I was the only one that landed every single job that I interviewed for…my point is, you gotta be aware of and understand your history, but you don't let it control or limit you.

My second point is (yes, I'm wrapping up now) reparations isn't the solution to any of the problems we have now. Black ancestry or slavery is not what makes us unsuccessful anymore, it’s our lack of competitiveness. We need to get ourselves educated. We need to teach our kids that the opportunities are there and they can be successful at whatever they work at. We need to stop thinking like victims...we're not anymore. Let's leave the past in the past and take what we have now and make something of it.

…my $0.02

Is worth two and a quarter cents here, but having been in the southern states I have sensed that maybe there is a little way to go before what you say is true actually is in reference to the civil rights movement being a total success. Hell. In Canada, as much better as it is there is still too much racial crap. Me? I don't understand it and it pisses me off enough to slap folks when I see it, but it's there.

From my previous post

about prejudice never being eliminated. It seems like the most senseless type of stupidity to me to mistreat someone who is different when in fact we are each different.

What was really sad about some of the things I saw was that a lot of the people really try, but they just don't get there. The white people know it; the black people know it, and we Canucks just walk in and amaze them all. For example; we went to a Shoney's in Nashville with our engineer/producer. I was having a great time chatting up our waitress. Wanda, and by the time we finished our meal Wanda, Brian(My song writing partner.) and I were almost family, but Les was still all stiff and formal, (Maybe civil is the word.), but not as chummy as if Wanda had been white. Les never said a word about about it, but one could see he was astounded that colour was just totally a non-issue, for in truth, in the place and time I grew up that is the way it was/the way I am.

I'd say we're all equal- so thus no reparations. Somewhere back down the line all of our ancestor's were jackasses to one another.

I agree....we are not our ancestors but some prejudice still exists, but it comes in many forms...it's not a "south" thing.....it's an idiot thing.

No reparations in this case....