Are reparations to families of slave ancestry going to far? what about reconciliation?

Question

We are talking of a history now over 150 years old (in regards to the black slave trade) would it be more sensible to look for reconciliation rather than reparation?

Answer 1

how can you pay someone today for the damage done to their ancestors? you cant put a price on human suffering, you can however create a society that promotes equality for all. living in N.Ireland and being a catholic, we have had to fight for our civil rights but how can i be financially recompensed for the way in which a government miss treated my parents and grandparents? equal opportunity is the way forward but that is easier said than done. while those in power are still blighted by their bigoted ideas which have been passed down through the generations we will be destined to be treated as 2nd class citizens. so it is up to the individual to promote themselves and not be caught up in spiral which will consume their thoughts and lives, rise up and show the governments that inflicted such pain on us and our ancestors that we are survivors, we are still here and have a part to play in society and that is a quality which has been born of your mistreatment of us and others.

Answer 2

At least a nominal reparation would do two things:
1) Recognize that the slave trade was really wrong, and make that recoginition official.
2) Give dignity to the slaves, even if it is over a century and a half post-mortem
3) Give dignity to the descendents of those slaves
4) Set a precedent
5) Give moral authority to the USA when encouraging other nations to make reparations.
So yes, I htink it is a great idea. By "nominal", I don't mean $1.00, but on the other hand if the government tried to make a reaparation for what the labour was approximately worth, not to mention the hardship that was criminally inflicted, separating families, etc.. and all of which was sanctioned by the US government, it would just ruin the country. Better to recognize that there is no way of paying it back, but giving an agreed amount, either collectively or to each family, along with a formal apology. It would be a great basis for national reconciliation. (Those that moved later to the US from other countries, that is the risk of moving to a new country that has a checkered past). The north benefitted economically as much as the south from the slave trade.
As a Canadian, I believe our own government should look into it - because we had slaves here too.
EDIT:
Firefly, I don't know if you are native or not, but yes, our governments (Canadian and American) should pay amounts promised - in Canada we have been dealing with a lot of claims- (and trying to get out of whatever we can, of course!) - but treaties must be respected.
However no people deserve reparation if they oppose others receiving reparation. I realize, however, that whether you are native or not, you do not represent native opinion.
EDIT again:
The USA (or Canada) can't apologize for slavery done in Egypt or elsewhere. We can only apologize and make at least symbolic reparation for what was done in our own countries, and what we have benefitted from.

Answer 3

I work a lot with young people, often those who've been targeted by racism often in the united states. For those people who are not regularly engaged with the debate around racism, it is easy to be convinced into thinking that although slavery was "tragic" it has no impact on the everyday lives of people anymore. That Unsurprisingly is not true. There is no dead line set for recovering from something so brutal. The culture of white supremacy not only still makes it hard for people of colour to obtain equal educational, financial and employment resources and opportunities. It also becomes what we call internalised oppression. in my opinion this is far less talked about and understood but far more dangerous. This is what destroys communities, families, peoples asperations and hopes, and leads to an expression of violence and brutality.
So the question i think should really be, not is reperations going to far. How could we ever go to far trying to clean this up? but would reperations be the right contradiction for people. My concern is that reperations kinda confounds the idea that the main injustice of slavery was economic, not just completely de humanising. i would worry that reperation payments would some how give the impression that was that. fixed that little problem. without addressing the cultural or social aspect. However reperations may turn out to be an incredably useful symbol of acknowledgment to black people everywhere, and also a tangible contradiction to patterns of victimisation which are prevelant everywhere but attack particularly furousously within the black community. In terms of white people, myself included, being allies to this movement not looking at this issue just because it makes us feel bad is not gonna cut it.
This isn't about guilt, its about responsablity. Racism is not tracable too one person, nobody benefits in a real way, white priviledge may bring material resources and status but also disconnection, fear, rigidity and isolation. we should all be outraged. we should have a right to form relationships with who ever we want, yet so many of us struggle to get close to people different from ourselves. we are all missing out.

Answer 4

slavery was around since the Egyptians, 7 millennia ago. It was still around during every empire the world has ever seen.

Then the Brits made an empire, profited – like every other empire and nearly all countries – through slavery.

The only difference was that the British middle class became wealthy and politically vocal and chose to abolish slavery throughout the empire and to pressure its trading partners to do the same.

They were the first people to do it…..ever!

Is this celebration more of a thank you to the British middle class rather than a sorry for 10,000 years of a legal and legitimate trade?

From my question : http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AsZTByILQmnOMUFfVOLIzqwgBgx.?qid=20061127055635AAzeJXw

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Fire fly - you are random, i can't work out what you are talking about. plus i didn't think it was possible to give the native Indians any money - didn't the yanks kill them all?

Answer 5

Yes, much more sensible.

At the time of slavery, my ancestors were sipping wine in their vineyards in Sicily. It wouldn't be helpful to compel people to pay reparations to descendants of slaves-- it would just open up old wounds and make people resent one another.

Answer 6

My first ancestor to live in America arrived in 1860 in New York (which had abolished slavery decades beforehand), and he saved up and bought a small farm in Brooklyn. Other ancestors arrived from 1880 to 1929.

I'm proud that I descend from poor people. I've never benefitted from slavery in any way, shape or form.

Answer 7

President Obama isn't "operating up the debt" (assuming you advise the nationwide Debt...or are you possibly pertaining to the GOP-created deficit?). someone (possibly pretend "information") is feeding you a load of elephant-dung hooey. the tale of our First family individuals, both personally and mutually, is a staggering social gathering of the yankee dream made ensue---a narrative no longer compared to the entire Christ theory, for those of you who're biblical literalists or accepted extremists. a mushy American boy named Barack realized early in life to excell and take own accountability and then rose to prominence even with his humble beginnings (the son of a unmarried mom who married the organic and organic father of her baby after being 3 months pregnant, relocated to Indonesia from a at the same time as 6 through 8 the position his mom worked on the U.S. embassy, and then despatched to stay with and be raised through his grandparents, his mom clinically determined with terminal maximum cancers). The youthful boy's scholarly hobbies took him to Harvard the position he replaced into elected because the first guy of colour to be President of the well-liked Harvard regulation evaluate, and he then graduated Magnacum Laude, proving himself to be both self-disciplined and extremely fantastic. The "reparations' got here interior the shape of being elected President of the united states through a landslide, and he has shown himself to be an wonderful chief of the loose international hence a strategies, after inheriting huge different GOP-led to messes that took this united states to the very verge of give way of disaster. try utilising the whitehouse.gov and restore.gov web pages to grow to be enlightened.

Answer 8

if the united states government gives black ppl reparation in the form of munny-then the United States of america should pay the NATIVE

AMERICAN the munny they promised us ...for the use of this land...ever think that if white ppl were SMART then they woulda kept the promise?and the government can pay us INDIANS first!!!! the african ppl here are just wanting to be on top BY HOOK and CROOK...

Answer 9

Black people wern't the only slaves in history...

Answer 10

think this PC going to far time to move on .......we cant always blame our ancestors ......