Poll: Is paying reparations fair?

[Nivag the Owl]

I am just speaking of reparations for slavoury here. I've never really had this debate with anyone other than a college friend. He's African and his family have been paid reparations by a white family who are poorer than his and he personally thinks it was unfair and feels like his family have done wrong.

It's obviously a good idea for the families to make some kind of peace but giving a material gift for the actions of your ancestors unfair. It's all well and good if the payer is happy to do so, in fact, I think it's a very good thing to do. Demanding, however, I think is wrong.

Do you guys think that this is a fair case? And what's your opinion on it in general?

 

[joystickjunki3]

I realize that a lot of people think reparations are fair and "required" for everyone to be on equal footing, but I disagree. I'm no more responsible for my great grandfather's actions than I am for George W. Bush's actions.

EDIT: Just to make sure that no one takes what I have said in the wrong manner, I think that compensation for something wrongful that has been done in your own lifetime is fair and justified depending on the situation. It's when a person whose father got into a car accident w/ my father wants me to pay them that things regarding compensation/reparation get a little hazy.

 

[Brokkr]

I think reparations are only fair if it's to repay something that was done to the specific person. I believe that having to pay someone for something that their great-great-great grandfather did to the other person's great-great-great grandfather is wrong.

 

[thiosk]

Your great great grandfather stole a silver bedpan from my great great great great grandmother.

Pay me.

 

[Trivun]

Your great great grandfather stole a silver bedpan from my great great great great grandmother.

Pay me.

Why would someone steal a bedpan? It just seems so random.

I think reparations should be paid by a person to someone else directly when a crime is commited (i.e. compensation), after they've been proven guilty, but not when it refers to ancestors and their actions. My grandad was in the British Navy during WW2, does that mean I have to pay a load of Nazi's grandchildren for what he did to their U-Boats?

 

[Arsen]

This is one of the greatest problems and facades within American society today: The implication that there is no equality because everyone didn't have the same "starting point" as the "white man".

No actions exist today that prevent all people from obtaining jobs, social statuses, or the otherwise. People like to scapegoat modern day America for incidents which happen years ago. Repair individual cultures within America. That is the key to everything: Working on yourself, working on raising your children right, and above all being a decent human being.

It's all about the age old sterotype of "the white man has caused more problems over the world than any other culture, empire, or ethnicity". I am tired of these modern definitions judging the past just because people don't make as much as someone else who has earned their way in life.

 

[Fronken]

I honestly dont see the point of reparations, i mean there is no more slavery (atleast not in the sense discussed here), none of the african-american people alive today have been slaves, granted their ancestors was, but that doesnt validate them demanding money for it.

What happened to the black community and how they were treated were nothing short of horrific, its sickening to know that people have actually treated other people like that only because their skin is a different color, but that doesnt change the fact that we (white community) hasnt done anything wrong, our ancestors did.

Making someone pay for what someone else did in the past is Wrong, we had nothing to do with it, we cant be blaimed for it, and i know i may sound like a heartless rascist but no, im neither heartless nor a rascist, im just questioning what validates the reparations.

 

[MrKeroChan]

Reparations for slavery is just about as mindless as collective punishment. The sins of the father are not to be inheritied by the son.

 

[nathan-dts]

Your great great grandfather stole a silver bedpan from my great great great great grandmother.

Pay me.

Your great great great great grandmother stole a chamber pot from my great great great great grandmother.

Pay me.

 

[thiosk]

Your great great great great grandmother stole a chamber pot from my great great great great grandmother.

Pay me.

ZOUNDS FOILED AGAIN.

Last time I checked, I think they got the executive branch.

And since they insist on collectivism, i think all is square.

 

[hansg]

Since current-day descendants of slaves have opportunities far beyond what they would have had had they remained in Africa, I'm guessing the financial balance of such reparations would actually swing the other way: these people should _pay_ for the privileges they have been granted because of their ancestry.

 

[thiosk]

these people should _pay_ for the privileges they have been granted because of their ancestry.

LOL oh snap you registered just to say that, didn't you?

 

[m_jim]

I strongly believe that anyone who was a slave should receive reparations. Any 150 year old slaves out there should get a check, everyone else is just looking for a hand out.

 

[Nivag the Owl]

I still think it's important to make peace though. But I can think of a lot of better ways than giving people money to make up for it. Inviting them round to dinner and properly befriending eachother as families is such a better option. Demanding money or a materal apology still invokes hostility in my opinion.

 

[mokes310]

No, they aren't fair. I'm Native American, and my ancestors got the shaft a little worse than the slaves. We didn't get reparations for being slaughtered simply because we didn't believe in the "white mans god."

In any case, that was in the past, and nothing can be done to change it. All we can do is remember our past, and try not to make the same mistakes in the future.

 

[ElephantGuts]

Reparations is a horrible idea, someone shouldn't be punished for the actions of their ancestors, especially those from this many generations back. I don't plan on going to Germany and asking Germans for reparations for stealing the possessions and taking the land of my ancestors, and that practically just happened compared to slavery. The people that are alive today are completely different people from their ancestors (mostly). What happened happened. Deal with it.

Though I would like to go to Switzerland and have a friendly little financial discussion with them...

 

[LewsTherin]

That depends, are we paying repatriation to African countries, or the descendants of slaves?

 

[Rajin Cajun]

Since none of my ancestors owned slaves they can go fuck themselves repeatedly with a cucumber.

 

[mattttherman3]

Reparations are fine, if the person is still alive or the person was killed and the immediate family gets the money.

 

[JWAN]

I had family on both sides Of WW2

do I pay myself?