Reparations...?

Question

I just saw the movie Bannished which shows descendants of a few of the thousands of black families that where run out of prodomenently white counties as late as the 1920s and forced to abandon their land and it brings up the case of reparations. One family requested the city return the land that was stolen from them, another requested the town pay to remove his deceased great-grandfather's remains from the town that ran out his family to the final resting place of his other relatives. These are reparations! I personally have no need for any reparations, but don't you feel that people who have suffered in the manner deserve something for what generations of their family has been through? I do especially since in 1988 the US gave $20K to Japanese-American descendents whose families were in US "holding" camps (pretty much concentration camps) during WWI and even Germany paid $5 billion to Holocaust descendants. A reparations bill has been vetoed for the past 16 years. What do you think?

Answer 1

I actually was thinking about this exact topic this weekend. My girlfriend's cousin's' wifes' funeral was this weekend.

She was Native American Indian, and was receiving a substantial amount of money monthly. Since her husband is not Native American no one really knew if the three kids would continue receiving the money they have been getting their entire lives.

I got to thinking and thought about how many people would have to be paid back for our govt taking advantage of them, blasting em out or directly orchestrating their suffering on a large scale.

The honest and sad answer we came up with is that the most appropriate question would be to ask;
Who wouldn't we have to pay?

So, the answer is the Bill's will continue to be vetoed because to admit a certain type of guilt forms precedence and opens a door they cant afford.


I'm glad my Karma isnt tied to citizenship!!!!!!!

Answer 2

I think reparations are B.S. Anyone seeking reparations would have a very difficult time proving that they were the decedents of people who were owed reparations. Not to mention, how would you go after companies that no longer exist?

The difference between, Japanese being interned and Holocaust victims is that those people who suffered through those experiences are still alive (quite old but alive). Reparations and slavery happened well over 200 years ago, there isn't any documentation to prove somebody was a slave.

Legally speaking, the slaves worked for companies and farmed land theat they didn't own, so what type of legal rights would they have anyway. Even after the ratification of the 13 and 14th amendment most blacks still had little or no rights anyway, and certainly not enough to file claims in court.

BTW the holocaust was in WWII not WWI. Most politicians know that reparations are B.S. and that is probably why bills keep getting vetoed.

Answer 3

In the case where there are real, provable damages (abanding land will leave a paper trail) There might be a case for reasonable damages, but there are a few holes in this story!

Why did the antecedants of the decendants not sell the land before they left? If it could be proven that the city "forced" these people out, certainly paying the cost of moving great grandpa's remains to the new family plot would be reasonable accomodation, but how would the case be proven against the city?

When I think of "reparations" I think of an amount of money (or tax write off) given to the decendants of slaves. Now how would someone prove that? Could white looking people get in on this action ... or would you have to "look the part?"

Who would pay reparations? How could you prove that someone's great grandfather (or great-great grandfather) owned slaves? Would the cost be born by all citizens?

You mention the Japanese-American decendants from the holding camps during WW 2 (not one!). Did they have to prove that they were decendants of a "holding camp" American citizen? How about the holocaust decendants? Did they have to prove a family connection to cash in?

If so ... should slave decendants have to prove their family connection to cash in? What I'm asking is, should all African-Americans collect reparations, or just those who can prove a family connection to a slave?

What about those of us who can prove that their families immigrated far after slavery was abolished and the Civil war was won? Would you grant us a "non liable" deduction ... or would we still have to pay? Should all non African-Americans pay reparations, or just those with a family connection to a slave owner?

What about the original sellers? If African tribe "A" captured personnel of African tribe "B" and sold them to slave traders ... Then the reverse happened (Tribe "B" captured and sold members of tribe "A") would proven decendants of either be able to collect? Would both tribes be considered "co-conspirators" in the slave trade and both sets of decendants be excluded?

Slavery was a terrible mistake in US History, no doubt about it! But as to reparations ... who should pay, and who should collect?

Answer 4

I don't think that generations so far removed are owed anything. The person who suffered themselves, their children, I could see that. But at this point, slavery is 150 in the past. Look at all the descendants of slaves, Japanese interned in WWII camps, and holocaust survivors who have gone on to make a better life for themselves. To me, reparations would remove the idea of personal responsibility. As in, "well, my family has suffered for a long time, and someone gave me a check to prove it, so my choices and decisions in my life were not my doing at all. Nor should they be, on account of all that I have suffered." There is enough of sloughing off of personal responsiblity without adding to it.

Now, as to the movie that you referred to. If my great-greats were run out of town and their property seized illegally for any reason - race, religion, town status - then yes, I would go back to that town and sue for the return of, or the value of the property that was illegally taken/stolen from my ancestors. That is not reparations, that is recovering stolen property. While in the same neighborhood, it's not quite on the same block as reparations for slavery.

Answer 5

I think that the enslavement of Africans was a shameful period in American History and cannot be excused by pointing out that many cultures have enslaved others throughout the history of the world. Just as recent as American Slavery was the enslavement of Americans and Europeans by the Islamists in Turkey and other areas of the Middle East. Don't hear too much about that do you? Just as enslavement cannot be excused, reparations cannot be made as none of the enslaved parties are alive to recieve the reparations.

I think that it is just another bunch of folks looking for a handout.

A person i know who has been to Africa a couple of times has said that going by what he saw there y'all should get on your knees and be thankful that you were born here - no matter how you got here! How about just being thankful to be born an American in a free society where you can choose your religion - or choose not to choose a religion. You can complain about your leaders and not have to worry about being jailed for "insulting" your country.

Answer 6

Who are you going to get the money from the jews they ran the slave trade. Ask yourself where the 5 billion went in Germany because there was no holocaust. By the way it was WW 2 and the only the only real concentration camps were the Gulags in Russia and the where run by a Russian jew. Try doing some research before you ask a question. Try reading Benjamin Freemans speech from 1961.
P.S. Remember who runs the all the media when you watch a movie or read a book even school books.

Answer 7

I am against it. I was against the reparations to Japan and to all other similar cases. I'm not against you, just more entitlement programs which do nothing to help bring Americans together, as Americans.

My family lived in the extreme southern end of Illinois, my great father fought for the Union; my family never had slaves.

Answer 8

My ancestors never owned slaves. They came to this country 50 years after slavery was ended, except for one of my great grand-mothers. She was an Apache Indian, so I guess, by your logic, I'm owed reparations as well because of how badly the Native Americans were screwed over.

Answer 9

I think that the people of today should not pay for mistakes in history made by others.
Also, since there is not a living victim, then leave the past where it belongs. Dont open old wounds or create new hostility.
Compensating someone today for something that happened such a long time ago is just a cash grab by some people.
But that is just my opinion.

Answer 10

The US holding camps compare to concentration camps like a kindergarden to a slaughterhouse.
BTW, the US paid nothing to the other "axis" detainees- US residents of german, austrian or italian ancestry (over 2/3 of the total detainee population). See any "political correct" angle at work?