Reparations for slavery...what do you think of them?

Answer 1

An absolutely outragous suggestion. By that token, we here in Scotland could sue England for King Edward the 1st's invasion of Scotland in 1296. To any one who thinks they should receive reparations for acts commited 2. 3 or 4 centuries ago, it is just both greed and a cynical attempt at exploiting the American litigation system and tradition. Get real, get a life.

Answer 2

I think that while it is always right to atone for ones mistakes, there comes a point where you just have to let the past go, learn from your mistakes and move on. If the government wants to give reparations to actual living former slaves, which there are very few, if any, left, that's great. But that's as far as it should go. Every government and every society makes mistakes, and instead of focusing in on those mistakes for eternity, we have hopefully learned from them, grown into better people, and made new laws to make sure that those mistakes are not repeated. How far does society have to go, how many meaures must it make, to make up for something that happened over a century ago by people we didn't know. Slavery was a horrible institution, and I am happy to see that our government can admit that, but the only steps they should take now are to make sure it doesn't happen again.

As far as affirmative action, I believe there was a time when this was greatly needed. It was a way to help the groups that society had discriminated against and held back from climbing the social and corporate ladder. Right now affirmative action is a form of reparation. Is it still needed today? I honestly don't know. There will come a time when it is not needed, but who is to say when that time will be.

Answer 3

I have to say that I am completely opposed to reparations for slavery or for any other matter. Nobody alive today is to blame for people being enslaved hundreds of years ago. Likewise, nobody alive today suffered being enslaved. Everyone in the world has had persecuted ancestors, just because someone is of a certain race does not mean they are entitled to special treatment or monetary gain. My children will never be able to get a scholarship to school because they aren't a certain color. Can't people be happy with this ahd other advantages already made available to them? If reparations are made, just where should the money come from as well? It is far to long after the fact for this. I bet most people who think they deserve reparations can't even name a relative who was a slave even if they had one, get real. People should stop trying to make money off of their ancestors suffering, that's just wrong!

Answer 4

Who is going to pay what to who

Slavery was practiced by everyone from tribes in Africa, to British slavers who started the trade, to New England merchants, to slave owners in North and South America. The slaves that came to the American south were the lucky ones. There rate of survival was much higher than the ones who went to South America or to the sugar islands.
Fixing the blame for the treatment of people in the past is a never ending process. What about reparations for Irish railroad labor. They were dumped out in the middle of the US to starve after the transcontinental railroad was completed. Not even considered human enough to ride on the tracks that they had put down. The same with the Chinese. Just were do we stop. Are we going to pay reparations for the French civilians who were killed in the pre invasion bombardment of Normandy where they were being held as slave workers by the Germans. It is over an done with. Work on the intolerance and hatred that are present today. Let go of the past.

Answer 5

Who should pay reparations to whom? Should the Arabs of North Africa pay reparations to Europe for the millions of European slaves captured by the Barbary Pirates - something that started long before the Atlantic Slave trade. Should the Arabs pay reparations to African tribes that suffered from the slave taking that supplied the Indian Ocean slave trade to Mesopotamia - which also went on for much longer than the Atlantic slave trade? Should Saudi Arabia pay reparations to East African states in recompense for the many slaves that were captured and taken to the Arabian Peninsular? Should that government of China pay some recompense to those areas of the country that supplied the millions of slaves who worked on and died at the Great Walls? Should Spain pay reparations to South American states for the Indians who slaved in and died in the silver mines of the Spanish Empire? Should Russia pay reparations to countries that have left the old Soviet Empire for their fellow citizens who died in the Gulags?
Once started on the road of paying reparations for past evils there is no end. Far better to ensure that such things never happen again. A good place to start would be to tackle the remaining small but pernicious slave trade that continues in the Horn of Africa.
Slavery was not just about the Atlantic trade, and Europeans rarely captured slaves. Arabs and Africans did that, and Europeans only purchased some of the haul - Europeans were not the only customers.

Answer 6

I've got an idea. I will gladly pay for the ship tickets back to Africa for anyone who thinks I owe them reparations. What? You'd rather live in America than the Sudan? Well then, stop whining about something my ancestors never did and something that never happened to you.

Answer 7

I think we should all move on what's done is done it wasn't our generations fault why should we pay for other peoples ignorance it was awful what happened but many races and religious people over the past years have been persecuted in one way or another who is to decide who gets what it will just open the flood gates to madness, i feel for all who suffered but lets break the chains now and make a better life for our children and our children's children. Let it go and keep the peace :)

Answer 8

Stupid, thats what. Slavery was destroyed so long ago in the British Empire, the rest of the world took a lot longer!

I don't see the African states apologising for their co operation in the slave trade.

Answer 9

NO NO NO

that's what I think...

will we get reparations for the people of Britain kidnapped into slavery by the Barbary pirates from the 14th thru the 17th centuries?

and exactly who would benefit from these 'reperations' ?

Not the original victims that's for sure !

My 3 pennyworth...

Philip

Answer 10

Well, since I'm second gereation Irish in America, I have to say my ancestors had nothing to do with slavery in America. So I have to say no, unless the money is coming from other than tax dollars.