Why should black people be paid reparations for things that happened before they were born?

Question

I wouldn't mind a few extra dollars myself, but I prefer to actually work for my money instead of getting it out of pity for what happend several generations ago. Besides, by accepting reparations as compensation for what happened, they're putting a dollar ammount on the suffering that their ancestors endured, which doesn't seem right either.

Vinnie, no, what needs to happen is that the African-Americans who are demanding reparations need to stop being financially irresponsible otherwise they wouldn't need reparations.

Answer 1

Because the widespread racial discrimination against African Americans has it's roots in slavery. To bring us up to the same economic level as the White population, we need to be compensated for the 248 years that we were forced to work for free. The unpaid forced labor of our great grandfathers and great grandmothers built this country from an untamed wilderness into a world power & now it's time that we get compensated for what our ancestors did for this nation.

Answer 2

First, there is not a single former slave alive today. If there were they would certainly be due just compensation for their labor, but the ancestors of atrocities do not deserve compensation in any way. As a precedent for this point of view, from the last century, let us look at how the compensation of slave labor during the holocaust of World War II has been handled. The thousands of people that survived that inequity are being compensated by both the government of Germany and by the companies that gained from their forced labor, and rightfully so. But their children have no inherited right to collect for the uncompensated labor of their parents. Certainly the grandchildren and great grandchildren of American slaves never experienced the appalling life of slavery, and therefore, like the children of Jews and others enslaved in Germany 50 years ago, they have no claim for themselves.

Secondly, blacks do not have a monopoly on living in poverty in this country. According to the latest census data approximately 30 percent of blacks and whites live in poverty. Hispanics unfortunately have an even higher percentage living below the poverty line. All this current day poverty can not be attributed to a disgusting institution that was ended 150 years ago. It can however be attributed to present day governmental policy. There should be a monumental effort made by the government, at all levels, to get all Americans out of poverty, but a policy centered on only one race is just as wrong as slavery was.

Thirdly, slavery could not have existed without the complicity of black Africans who supplied most of the unfortunate humans that were sold into this dreadful condition. It was not just whites that kept this retched institution going for over 200 years. In addition, there were over 200,000 white Americans that paid the ultimate retribution during the Civil War, when they gave their lives to end slavery. The reparation debt owed to slaves was paid a long time ago when the North won the Civil War and freed them.

Answer 3

They should not be paid restitution for horrible things that happened so long ago. I believe the United States has evolved to a point where the politically correct name for previous black slaves are African Americans. We have come to the conclusion that all races are equal and have freed all slaves before any of us were born. The United States government had decided in the mid 1800's that slavery was wrong. They fought a civil war partly because of this. As a result of this war slavery was abolished. The Confederate states of America was the actual people who should pay restitution, if anyone should. The US Government saved the day. I think that if restitution's were due to people, every one could find a reason to get restitution. Also the freaks who have decided to think that they need restitution from the US Government seem to keep forgetting that they are the ones who vote for the people who are the US Government. Run for office or vote for your guy to be in the government. The Government is the people. Why demand restitution from yourself? Get a grip, get a job.

Answer 4

I don't know how it feels to be black and have to suffer the pain of what the white race did to the blacks in the past, but it has to hurt. How can you or anyone else complain at our one and only chance at redemption for the horror of enslaving a proud race of
innocent people and giving them generations of pain and misery.
I would only hope that the current generation of the black race is more forgiving and tolerant than the shame-full whites than did that disgusting thing. As for me I beg forgiveness on behalf of
my race and can only hope that we can all as people find some
kind of gesture that can heal. I think we can never do enough to
pretend it didn't happen, we should at least not complain about doing the little that is being done.

Answer 5

Eh. the subject is that particular electorate who have been white owned a great style of slaves and particular, it benefited them. maximum persons worked their very own land. Its tousled that there have been slaves. it is greed for you. Africans bought out different Africans to the Whites who shipped them over right here and to Europe and the Carribean. Its a actual shame. for my area, i'm for the helping of all human beings, no longer in basic terms black ones. and that's in certainty how that's right here. you're able to inspect the slums that white human beings have lived in over the years...fantastically grotesque. human beings would desire to take great thing approximately what possibilities they have. they have greater desirable than maximum persons. in basic terms with the aid of fact rap track recently depicts the rappers as multi millionaires and a great style of the adolescents think of it is how they are going to be, it does not make it so. maximum persons stay to tell the tale or around 40-50,000 money a year because it is the median earnings. it is greater desirable than adequate to stay a stable existence. i do no longer make everywhere close to that, yet I do have an guidance and that's properly worth greater desirable than income many tactics. in basic terms attempt to do the main suitable you could. the yankee government, at an analogous time because it does not do each thing it would, is many times there to help human beings whilst they are suffering.

Answer 6

Every person must take their own steps to further their race. I am hispanic, migrant workers are like modern day slaves, they work for less than minimum wage, My father is an american citizen born and raised, he picked cotton, grapes and all kinds of other stuff that most african americans alive today have never picked. He does not think he is owed anything. He went to school, got an education and makes good money, wealthy...'fraid not, but upper middle class, not bad for starting off as a migrant worker. When i don't have money for my bills, i think to myself, "maybe i shouldn't have taken that week off to play video games" i don't think "if white people had paid my grandfather an honest wage i'd have money for my bills. My fiance is African American, and it shames her when she sees people taking advantage of the system needlessly. If you need help from the government, get help, dont get money just because you are African American.
As far as what people are owed. Work for it, I do . Historically, many european settlers were slaves in their own countries before escaping to america. Some were called serfs, other times it was called indentured servitude, In Egypt Jews were slaves,but it was all the same. Maybe European Americans should collect money too.
Wait, doesn't THAT sound crazy? Seriously, doesn't "Uncle Sam, he enslaved my grand pa, now i want money for it" sound like "Mom, she's looking at me" I'm not making fun of slavery or the suffering of slaves. But what people are going through today is not slavery, and they should not be paid for it.

Answer 7

Let me explain something. The government was the first ones to promise this with the forty acres and a mule. Your insinuation is that black people don't actually work for that money. That is racist and shows pure ignorance. I think most of us would be happy just to be recognized for being intellegent and yes, educated. I see lawsuits all the time that ask for a dollar amount for pain and suffering and for wrongful deaths. Is that not placing a dollar amount on a life? So you are saying that people are justified in that but not justified in monetary compensation for the pain and racism that still lives today. Maybe you should have to go in stores where you are followed or watched where you go althogh you know that one of your pay checks would swallow three to four of thiers. You cannot possibly understand. Although these things happened before we were born, we still have to live through gross racism today.

Answer 8

the whole reparations thing is kind of a joke in black communities -- don't take it too seriously. it is based in a horrible truth that the government offered reparations to the freed slaves but never came up with the goods. so reparations are "owed" but nobody really expects to receive them. you can try to cover pain with humor but it doesn't always work -- even 140 years later.

Answer 9

The same reason that some modern Southerners resent modern Northerners for the defeat of the Confederacy.

Human nature. We're basically just nasty animals who hold grudges and look for reasons to dislike each other. Now the blacks want to air theirs in punitive fashion.

Besides, saying that there's something special about working for the money you have is putting a dollar amount on yourself, which doesn't seem right, either. SAME EXACT LOGIC AS YOURS. Case closed. No possible valid argument against it. Continue to make noise about it in this forum if you have to, though, if it makes you feel better.

Answer 10

I don't think money will ever make up for the ill treatment of human beings. I hope we are striving to go beyond horrible things like racism, but there will always be ignorant people. I'm Irish, but I don't go asking for compensation from those of viking ancestry. It's tricky.
Just be a good person, and know you are doing the right thing in this world; I think that's really the only thing a person can do to heal past travesty.