Should we(Americans) pay reparations to Black-American's for slavery?

Question

I never enslaved anyone
My ancestors died to free them
My ancestors fought to give them equal rights

Should these people who push for it stop trying to be victims?

Dr. Michael Savage has a great debate with a reperations guy here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuXTV8YYtj0

Answer 1

What kind of American are you?

Are you a European American? Sweden, Greece?

Are you a Brit? Orkney or Cornwall? Ireland?

Are you an Asian American? Turkey or Philippines?

Are you an African American? Capetown or Cairo?

Are you an Earthling...American?

Answer 2

First, there is not a single former slave alive today. If there were they would certainly be due just compensation for their labor, but the ancestors of atrocities do not deserve compensation in any way. As a precedent for this point of view, from the last century, let us look at how the compensation of slave labor during the holocaust of World War II has been handled. The thousands of people that survived that inequity are being compensated by both the government of Germany and by the companies that gained from their forced labor, and rightfully so. But their children have no inherited right to collect for the uncompensated labor of their parents. Certainly the grandchildren and great grandchildren of American slaves never experienced the appalling life of slavery, and therefore, like the children of Jews and others enslaved in Germany 50 years ago, they have no claim for themselves.

Secondly, blacks do not have a monopoly on living in poverty in this country. According to the latest census data approximately 30 percent of blacks and whites live in poverty. Hispanics unfortunately have an even higher percentage living below the poverty line. All this current day poverty can not be attributed to a disgusting institution that was ended 150 years ago. It can however be attributed to present day governmental policy. There should be a monumental effort made by the government, at all levels, to get all Americans out of poverty, but a policy centered on only one race is just as wrong as slavery was.

Thirdly, slavery could not have existed without the complicity of black Africans who supplied most of the unfortunate humans that were sold into this dreadful condition. It was not just whites that kept this retched institution going for over 200 years. In addition, there were over 200,000 white Americans that paid the ultimate retribution during the Civil War, when they gave their lives to end slavery. The reparation debt owed to slaves was paid a long time ago when the North won the Civil War and freed them.

Answer 3

Absolutely, with only one restriction: you must first prove that you were enslaved - not your great grandfather, but you. Otherwise, get off the victim bandwagon and start pulling your own weight.

It would never end if all the ancestors of the people who were somehow mistreated or exploited throughout history were to start initiating class action suits against the alleged perpetrators.
(The lawyers would have a hay day, though, wouldn't they?)

Answer 4

"Great debate" with a "reperations (sic) guy." Wow, how offensive can you get. Race baiting, xenophobia, and White Privilege rear their ugly head yet again. . . but wait, what was I thinking. . . they've never gone anywhere. This is "America" after all.

If you are going to parade Michael Savage, then perhaps another voice would do you good as well. I have a link here to an article about White Privilege: http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/freelance/whiteprivilege.htm and a book recommendation for all those who think that paragraphs and pages illicit more thought than one-sided radio hosts out-shouting poorly-armed callers. See below.

Maybe Savage should pick on someone his own size. . . but then again, when have you ever heard of a radio talk show host like Savage speak to anyone who is a specialist in the field of discussion?

Answer 5

If we do pay reparations we should pay them only to the former slave themselves not the family, if you can prove YOU were a slave then come get your check.

Reparations are just another attempt for a small number of people to get more thatn the rest, this is what those same people would refer to as Racism if they weren't included, and they would be right to call it that because any program based on race for any reason is Racism

Answer 6

Sure, we should get the African tribes that sold their own brothers and sisters into slavery to pony up. I say any slave still living today should be paid by them because they have never paid any reparations like this country did. What? America paid reparations to slaves? What do you call the blood of over 500,000 Americans killed to end the abomination of slavery? I call it REPARATIONS.

Answer 7

Of course not. Their own people sold them to Americans and other countries. We didn't kidnap them. in todays time they were never slaves ,this is the 21st century.Anything to get money.
If they want anyone to pay they should go back to the ones who sold them.

Answer 8

they might desire to, however the Elite between their occasion are those that benefited. they could desire to push the blame off onto people who fought for equality, and to loose the slaves. certainly, lots of those paying with affirmative action are descendants of persons who have been the subsequent closest element to a slave (owing and beholding to the employer shop, that they've been based on for artwork - Husband, spouse and babies being required to artwork sixteen-18 hours according to day, and not earning sufficient to feed and residing house themselves, and so on.).

Answer 9

Why do you guys pay attention to this crap? Real black people with jobs don't want a reparation for anything. I just want to be treated fairly.

Answer 10

The mule probably wouldn't be a problem, but 40 acres is a bit pricey if you multiply it by 300,000,000.