Should we appoligize for slavery? Reparations?

Question

most of my family came to this country in the early 20th century when slavery was over.
Why should I pay then?

Answer 1

Paying reparations will help NOTHING.

It won't end Black poverty.
It won't end racism.
It won't create more equality in government or the work force.
It won't help Blacks get better jobs.
It won't turn around the breakdown of the African-American families and the overwhelming irresponsibility shown by African-American men toward raising their children.

The discussion around the payment of reparations has to do with leveling the playing field due to Blacks having a rougher start in this country. This I understand. But! I also see PLENTY of African-Americans throwing opportunities away nowadays ... refusal to educate themselves because they don't want to be like "Whitey". Refusal to seek honest employment and carrying around an attitude and a chip on their shoulders that everybody owes them something. Refusal to speak standard English because they want to develop and preserve some sort of special cultural language, which keeps them from finding corporate employment. Tell me, what company will hire a person to answer the company telephone and speak to customers who can only speak Ebonics?

And don't think for one moment that there is no reverse racism alive and well in the country today, because there most certainly is.

Yes, Blacks were set back by slavery in this country. But slavery has existed all over the world since the beginning of time. More specifically, there was African slavery all throughout the Americas while it existed in the USA! The wealthy landowners in Mexico, Central and South American countries all held African slaves. Are those countries paying for it now?

Did you know that there were even Africans in Africa who were enslaving other Africans at the ~exact~ same time Africans were being caputured and brought to the Americas on slave ships? Many are not aware of this ...

In my opinion, most African-Americans nowadays struggle at the hands of their own cultural attitudes, not necessarily due to their family history in this country.

Answer 2

We did apologize.
No we should not pay reparations.
Many white people lost their lives in the Civil War to end slavery.
It was a horrible thing but I doubt there are many people alive that we could apologize or pay reparations to . I don't believe reparations should be for the children of slaves, only slaves.

Answer 3

We are such a diverse country that it is time we get over this. This victim mentality is poisoning the ability of some segments of our society to advance. Compared to much of the world, anyone in this country has an advantage. Easy? No. But possible? Yes!

My family has been here since the 1700's, lived in the north without slaves, but had been brutalized by the British in Scotland in earlier times. They sacrificed and risked everything to come here, worked their fingers to the bone, and even lost everything during the American Revolution because they supported freedom. Such is human life. Humans in power brutalize humans who are not. But people who are willing to struggle and work, especially when they reach America, will succeed.

Answer 4

We shouldn't apologize for nothing.We meaning this generation didn't have anything to do with slavery.Most of our parents didn't have anything to do with it either.These people that want an apology are manipulating and using the system to get what they want.A free ride.It's time these free loading trouble makers get a life and let go of the past and move forward.Slavery has been gone for years and not a single person under the age of 100 should be complaining about the problems they have.They shouldn't even be trying to connect these problems with slavery.The reason they are having problems is because they are to lazy to get out and do any better for themselves.

Answer 5

Wow. I'm a lil surprised by these answers.

Heh. And I bet you're all older than me too. So it seems like you've be a lil more mature about this.

Look, I'm not saying you have anythign to do with it, you're ancestors may have not had anything to do with it. But just because they didn't doesn't mean you can't contribute.

I'm not trying to be mean, but it is that big a deal to try and help people?

And to everyone else. I seriously feel ashamed. Right now of everyone who acts like just because they did nothing wrong they shouldn't help repay the debt of what others did.

I have always felt ashamed, not of you, I didn't know there were that many people like this who didn't care because they didn't do the crime. I have been ashamed of my anscetors.

I assume everyone here has learned of slavery from history and such. Doesn't it bother you how cruel it was?

I don't care if you were never involved or if you aren't white. I don;t care for any of your excuses.

Especially the one where someone said that black people were too concerned with being rappers and gangmembers.

I mean, that has nothing to do with it.

Apaprently, we've grown from one cruelty towards blacks, to another.

-Tasha.

Answer 6

No. No. And, no.

None of us were perpetuating it, so why should we appologize, and thus make ourselves open to reparations, yet again? Crushing the Southern States will do nothing but further hurt the nations. I say, no more. That damnable war was more than a century ago. There is not a single soul alive who deserves reparations from it.

Answer 7

About 700,000 men died in the Civil War. Of which 38,000 were African American men/soldiers.
About 100,000 slaves escaped, died or were killed during the Revolution. And even "IF" there were another 100,000 slaves killed crossing over on the boat or others unaccounted for killed..
The estimation would still be far less many slaves were killed than soldiers killed fighting to win back their freedom.

You know what this means?
PAID IN FULL!!!

Answer 8

if your family came after slavery, it wasn't after the internment of the japanese in camps. they've been paid reparations. did your family contribute to the internment and/or reparation payments to these people? some believe the native americans are receiving reparations through the casinos, free housing, scholarships and other benefits because of the atrocities visited upon them. does your family gamble at their gaming casinos? decendents of slaves barely get an apology for the atrocity of slavery in this country, and we'll probably never get reparations so you don't have to worry too much about helping to pay.

Answer 9

I think back when this was still a new issue, reparations should have been handed out. However, I don't think that the ancestors of the slaveowners should have to pay, nor should the government. And I'm part-black. I think everyone just needs to let go of it. All the former slaves and slave owners are gone and that was their issue, not ours.

Answer 10

No one should pay! We fought a war to end it. Plus blacks were the least used for slavery. The jews were slaves many times over the blacks.Besides, that was a long time ago. Should everybody get payed for their past? The past is what makes us who we are.You learn from it.