Do you think reparations should be paid for people alive today who were victims during the Jim Crow era?

Question

Disclaimer - This has absolutely NOTHING to do with slavery so please don't start a rant about whatever happened 142 years ago. I'm not talking about Slavery.

Now, as you smart people may be aware, Jim Crow ended in 1964 after the civil rights movement. Before then, as you know, blacks were victims of multiple human rights violations. For those of you who don't know what human rights are, here's a link (it's not a virus, BTW): http://un.org/Overview/rights.html

Now, here is my position: I feel that victims of human rights violations during the Jim Crow era who are still alive today, should be allowed to file a claim for reparations.

Note: Several groups have already RECEIVED millions in reparations such as the Jews, Koreans and several Native American tribes, FYI.

Now: Do you agree that the senior citizens who are alive today who were directly affected by Jim Crow have a valid argument for reparations.

I'm not talking about anyone else but them. What do you think?

Java-I said for the people who are ALIVE today...My grandmother is 94 and still alive and there are hundreds of thousands of others. And what does retirement have to do with anything? I'm not getting your logic.

Java-so you're saying no pretty much. Any basis for that opinion?

chris p - Not getting your logic either...So you're pretty much saying that a mother shouldn't feed her child because she's going to have to feed her other kids, too??? Heh? Seriously, that's what you're saying.

You sound defensive more than anything. This is a question on ethics and morals and what's the RIGHT thing to do. I'm not saying it's going to happen but most rationale people would agree these people had valid claims, just as valid as the groups you pointed out.

Carly-Inconvenience is different from the ethical thing to do. You should care more about ethics than anything else. Anyways, this is hypothetical, clearly. I just wanted to see how many people had ethics. Answers seems to be lacking in that department. I'm not suprised. I just wanted to hear the flawed reasoning.

Answer 1

Heck Yeah. And I would be happy to have my taxes go to something more useful than war! Unless our government allows such things and makes attempts to repair the damage of our brutal history then no real healing will begin. We need to take steps to start making things right.

A Native woman's two cents.

Answer 2

Many of these people are old and already drawing disability. Do we need to give even more ?? No, sorry... I don't think so. That money would be well spent in so many other places. The educational system is a train wreck in progress, ER /triage units are often on stand by, homeless shelters need more beds, disabled soldiers returning from Iraq need medical and emotional support, and the long list goes on and on. Also, consider the tremendous expense the government would have to invest just tp prove who the heck would legally qualify???

Answer 3

I think land that was stolen should be returned. All murderers should be brought to justice. Make the judiciary and law enforcement agencies ADMIT to their roles in allowing Americans to be murdered and burned out of home simply because they weren't white.

I agree. Like the Tuskeegee guys...the government EXPERIMENTED ON THEM!! I say pay their families even for that piece of BullSh*t.

Answer 4

No I do not.

Other wise we will have to make amends to all who were oppressed.
The Irish at the turn of the century.
The Italians after they had immigrated.
The Japanese for interring them in WW2.
They were U.S. citizens and they still got put into prison camps. We would have to pay them also.

While you are at it I want a piece of the pie also.

Answer 5

people who were victims, are 1. retirement homes, 2. cemetary 3. already have a job/ getting ready to retire. sorry


either way, you cannot get none of the money. nice try