Do you believe that in todays world african americans still deserve reparations for slavery?

Question

This topic has come up many times latley. I have noticed that racism is somethin that will exsist for as long as we do no matter if you like it or not but i believe that as bad as slavery was the young people today still believe that they deserve reparations. People would get offended if white people had a white college fund, a white entertaiment television channel( as much as people argue there is NO channel that is called White Entertaimnet TV). You also hear african americans talkin about being proud of being black but what happens if white people say the same. They are racist. I just don't get it anymore. I have noticed this the most with the people I have grown up with and do not get it. It's like the older you get the bigger this issue gets and i think that people just need to get over it.

Answer 1

NO! They DO just need to "get over it"! If todays African Americans deserve reparations for the slavery of their ancestors then EVERYone ALSO deserves reparations for the wrong-doings against OUR ancestors, such as those who were wrongfully accused & executed for crimes they did not commit....which STILL sometimes occurs in our system!

Answer 2

ok as a half white half black person i am uniquely qualified to walk this rope.

No, blacks do not deserve reparations for slavery, but slavery has now created an economic issue for blacks since they have not had nearly the opportunity nor education or time to raise themselves up from the slave class (just 150 years ago) to citiizen, to fully legit voting citizens (40 years ago). So no blacks do not need reparations for slavery, but they need better education in their neighborhoods and more college funds. Its more economic than racial, it just happens that so many poor people are blacks, since they have been the most disadvantaged.

and the white entertainment TV thing is silly. look at CBS, NBC, ABC. FOX, the majority of channels basically are white entertainment TV (how many black people do you know watch CBS?) Blacks are a minority group, just like latinos, gays and others, they want television that is geared directly to them. How come no one complains about telemundo for hispanics, its the same thing as BET yet there are no complaints, could it be thats it is because its in spanish? so if telemundo was in english (which they did launch an engligh languge channel) it would fall into the realm of BET?


The reality is blacks are disporportionately poor, and it is a direct result of slavery, you cannot change a people from slaves to the pinacle of the modern world in just a couple of centuries, some things move slower. as a people we should do what we can to lift all those poor up, right now they are disporportionately black and hispanic but that shouldn't matter.

Answer 3

If blacks today should still receive "reparations" for slavery, then I should receive reparations for what happened to one of my grandfathers when he first came to the US from Hungary. People put oil and sand in his lunch pail, nailed his coat to the wall, did all kinds of mean things to him because he spoke English with an accent. (And unlike some other groups of people coming here today, he did speak English, but that is another matter.) My other grandfather had trouble getting a job, saw many "Irish need not apply" signs because at that time people did not like the Irish. That is much more recent than slavery was.

We can never have true equality, because the black people do not want it and could not handle it. In addition to what the questioner stated, it would also mean that everyone would have an equal chance to get a job, so there would be no more "affirmative action". They would not receive extra points on standard employment tests, so they would no longer get a job over a over qualified white person that EARNS a higher score on the test.

edit: I see that "path less travelled" seems to think that every white American person is rich. Well, believe it or not, there are lots of white American people that could not afford to go to college, and no college funds exclusively for them. I know people will say "work your way through", but since we are all supposed to be equal, why can't the black person "work their way through" also?

Answer 4

Yawn. Look over here Skeeter. How many times must an educated Black Man like myself explain to you that I am not concerned about reperations or any other form of substandard care from the government. I was not a slave. my Great grandad's father was. If you didn't cut him a check, then what should I be looking for? Here's an idea Skeeter! the next time you or Cuzzin Elmo scratch your maws and chew tobacco and post hillbilly intellect online, why not grab the old Speak and Spell and give her a whirl Earl! A little book learnin' never hurt anyone! You be smiling through your tooth quicker than you can yell I done caught me a critter Paw!

Answer 5

I believe that the blacks who endured slavery until the mid-19th century are the ones who deserve the reparations (not their decendants), but they are all dead now. Also, with the mixing of the races, how could we ever tell who owes who? I say leave the past in the past; learn from it, but don't dwell on it.

Answer 6

Let's cover some points here, for you evidence a dilemma:

You say, "People would get offended if white people had a white college fund, a white entertaiment television channel( as much as people argue there is NO channel that is called White Entertaimnet TV)." ///////

For every frame of reference, there is a scale of length, and a scale of time.

Now I say this -- check your reference points, for you are mixing constants with variables... White people have historically not needed a "white college fund" or any fund -- again check your reference points... The operative word here is 'historically.' That carries to now, the year 2007.

Nor does there need to be a white entertainment television, for to produce this would be to champion a stark rendundancy, for all television 'is' white already; and the legacy of education and entree to advantages in the United States hitherto the late 20th Century has been the privelege of White Americans -- solely. Do you see?

Laws of Nature were violated and as result a healing force had to ensue, though the method may not be as palatable to you or others as you prefer. Even to many people of color this healing imperative has often been found unfavorable. So do not think this discomfort or aversion you feel is unique to the sensibilities of white people only.

But none could or can deny the injustices. Point is, the healing had to and has to proceed.

As to reparations, few African Americans are there who espouse the need for reparations, and though some measure of this did occur for the Japanese Americans, there is little if any possibility that collateral reparation for African Americans could ever be tenable much less practical, and they know this.

Both Native and African Americans are too busy trying to live and survive to bother with such pipe dreams and wastes of energy and time as expecting "reparations."

The violations were spiritual ones, not monetary anyway... See?

Next you say, "You also hear african americans talkin about being proud of being black but what happens if white people say the same."

Again, your reference points need checking... Bear in mind here, non-white people could never assume the station that white people afforded themselves and sustained. Nonetheless both black and red people in particular were considerably diminished...

My friend, you cannot injure a person and then dare expect him or her not to feel the pain ! Do you see?

Fault them not for merely trying in any creative way they can to recover self-dignities. They were corrupted over the course of hundreds of years; therefore, this truth should be no stretch for you to see that it will require a considerable time to heal and reverse the effects.

Denial or arrogance such as what you demonstrate certainly will not facilitate the removal of the very thing that so aggravates 'you.'

Next again you say, "They are racist."

There is a measure of truth to this point; make no mistake.
Prejudice and bigotry tends to human beings regardless of race. But like you, there are some who just don't get it either.

No one race cornered the market on an immunity against racism or any form of bigotry.

That one person may have been treated hatefully does not mean they should have license to demonstrate that same behavior to others. Bear in mind this thing I speak about regarding healing -- like any healing process, there are ups and downs.

Reverse racism is just one of these forms. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Do you remember this natural law in your sciences classes?

Finally, you say, that you "think that people just need to get over it."

Now know this -- healing does not happen by the negation that an injury or disease did occurr. Sure it occurred. Such has to be faced in order to cure it.

Ideally, it can be displaced by offsetting its indications with something greater. But to just get over it as you suggest would be to prescribe still another disease -- denial, which is an extremely virulent and pathological disease.

Go now and explore and look more broadly at what you see, feel, and hear. While some of your observations may well have some merit, do not cloud your greater and higher self because of this.

For what you hold as true may in reality simply be a reflection of what your views are drawing to you in concentrated expression, over what really exists in the overall society. Thus, you may have summoned a reflection of your own inner workings.

'Careful, my friend, careful...

Answer 7

as a blanket issue based solely on color? no way. My ancestors were poor, never owned slaves, and never set foot in America until 1860.

as for the rest of what you say... in none of your examples have white people ever been systematically excluded.

Answer 8

no no no no no no no. They were not the slaves their ancestors were. blacks today did not go through what their ancestors did so why should they get money? If you want to give money to someone to do some good they need to give it to a charity.

Answer 9

No we do not - because it was not their generation. They need to just get on with their life. We need to spend the money and heal the soldiers who are coming back from this godforsaken war.

Answer 10

Maybe your right, maybe people just need to get over it. But to clarify before BET you would be hard pressed to find any people of the darker persuasion on TV besides Bill Cosby but all he ever did was pander to white audiences.