Should African Americans be paid Reparations?

Question

Everyone else got it!
Don't bring up the holocaust that is Germany's issue!
A wrong made right!
Most buisnesses today profited from Slavery!

Answer 1

Reparations in the since of cash value -- NO. But you have to realize that from the time of reconstruction all the way up to the mid-80's there was a serious race problem in the United States ... blacks were judged solely on skin color and denied opportunities such as admission to universities and job promotions. It's like in the movie 'Malcolm X' when Malcolms teacher told him that becoming a lawyer wasn't a profession for a *****. Doors were closed in blacks faces for over a hundred years after slavery ended and although the whites of today should not feel any personal guilt, there should be some form of restitution made such as increased federal spending on African-American scholarships and a con tinuation of affirmative action. The ghettoes and extreme poverty you see in black society today is a direct result of government and social policies that constantly closed the door of opportunity to black Americans. Increased government funding of higher education -- even community college tuition -- would give black youths of today the opportunities that their parents, grandparents and so forth were denied.

Seriously, how fair was it that black soldiers were over in Vietnam in disporportionate numbers fighting for another mans freedom yet back here in the U.S. they still were subjected to colored water fountains, sitting at the back of the bus and voter intimidation sanctioned by local leaders like mayors, police chiefs and justices of the peace.

Answer 2

There is probably no fair and equitable way to distribute reparations and determine who pays what.

Some points to ponder:

1. Would the decendants of the thousands of Union soldiers who died in the Civil War be expempt from making payments?
2. Would all those whose ancestors came to this country after the end of slavery be exempt.
3. Would people of mixed race have to make payments as well as receive some. How would that be done.
4. Would those who have received various types of government benefits have a certain portion deducted from their reparation payments?
5. Would companies in the North that exploited immigrant labor be held as accountable as planters in the South? The former group paid wages but did not take any responsibility for their workers. The latter group did not pay wages, profited from slave labor, but took responsibility for their workers from cradle to grave. Both systems had their inequities. How do you determine which workers are owed more?

The list of questions could go on and on. Isn't there some way to settle the debts in ways that do not pit one group of Americans against another? They could be argued ad infinitem, but there are not easy answers. Perhaps we should find a way to settle the depts of another generation in a way that works for everyone. For example, everyone's children deserve good educations, equal oportunities and the mutual respect of all other Americans. If we all work toward those goals, regardless of the circumstances of our ancestors, in time, we might find ways to make things better, if not exactly even.

Answer 3

Absolutely not. There is no one alive that was wronged by slavery. Go to Africa to collect your reparations because most of the victims were sold into slavery by their very own. Africa can pick up any tab to be paid to undeserving opportunists, if it ever comes to that.

I don't think there are enough Liberals alive (with a guilty conscience) to make reparations a reality. I am certainly not paying extortion money to the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world. I will die before I would allow that to ever happen.

Answer 4

If there were any people who were wronged still alive, then I would say yes. But I do not believe reparation should be made 5 generations down the line. All that does is cause seperation of the "races". At this point, we are all Americans, not black, white, red, yellow. It is time to move on to the issues of today and not focus on yesterday. It is time to learn that everyone is a kinda pukey shade of yellow on the inside. It is time to learn love and friendship, and forget differences.

Answer 5

You have got to be joking. Paying reparations would not make it right. Second, slavery was legal at the time, so those businesses broke no laws. Third, who would you pay it too...all blacks or just those that can trace their family tree to those who specifically enslaved their specific ancestors. Fourth, most businesses today were not around back then. Fifth, if you really want to get fired up, speak out and get active to stop slavery today and free the 22 million slaves world-wide, 14 million of which are in Africa.

It sickens me that some of my fellow Black Americans cannot get past the culture of victimization. We traed in our iron chains for cultural chains of self-opression and self victimization. It is blacks in Africa commiting genocide against other blacks, it is blacks killing blacks in American steets. Writing a big check will solve nothing. It will only allow my community to stagnate further.

Answer 6

OK and heres how it should work,
first give reparations to all the Scottish and Irish who were conquered by the English,
then give reparations to all the blacks who were enslaved by the Europeans
then give reparations to all the southern people who had no slaves in the first place, but got drafted to fight for the rich whites who did, and lost their farms under reconstruction
then give reparations to all the native Americans who were murdered and displaced (any money owed to tribes that no longer exist because they were wiped out completely can be given to people in various countries where US activities resulted in the overthrow of democratically elected governments and installation of dictatorships, like Chile, Panama or Iran)
then we can give reparations to the people who got screwed by Enron, Tyco and General Motors misrepresenting their profits.
It is disgusting to me when people of any race, rather than get up of their @$$ and work to improve their station in life, wait for someone to give them a handout. the civil war was over before anyone alive now was even born. get over it.

Answer 7

Slavery ended over a hundred years ago. I cannot believe people are still trying to get money out of it. It was cruel and unjust what happened. African American's do not suffer from slavery anymore, they still do have a hard time with... getting jobs.... but it's ridiculous that they still want money. the government is in a trillion dollar debt. we shouldnt worry about playing black people the money from years ago.

Answer 8

Hmmm, about 100 years ago my great great grandmother's family was killed and scalped by the Sioux. Am I entitled to anything? Hmmm, NO! That is how the world worked back then--thank God things have changed--but how would a cash payment for something you were never a part of or personally harmed by change anything?

Answer 9

Should South African Whites be paid Reparations because of the destruction of Apartheid?

Answer 10

I don't give a dam my ancesters never owned slaves, and I am not paying a dime. only a small portion of whites owned slaves. They would also have to give reparations to the white slaves also, yes their was white slavery. They freed the blacks but they didn't free the white ones.