Should we have reparations to black folk?

Interesting idea.

But why not offer them a free ticket back "Home"......perhaps if you could convince the gang bangers and ghetto warriors, that Black Panther and Wakanda actually exists....sheeet even I might move there .

Though I think the ancestoral lands of the American black slaves is the horn of Africa, still Wakanda is just over the rise...you know, camouflaged and all...

Have to work out what tribe they are first......maybe make one up.....how about the "A-friken Americannus" tribe.....brother!!

I heard some information a few months ago from a professor, that certainly opened my eyes, Im sure it will do the same for Americans, who usually are not aware of much history outside the US. (no offence )

It will blow your minds......But in the early 1800s, when Britain abolished the slave trade, at home and all its colonies, the UK British Government at the time paid COMPENSATION to ALL the FAMILIES affected by having to GIVE UP their slaves and the cheap labour they provided.......COMPENSATION TO THE FAMILIES mind you, NOT TO THE SLAVES.

Yes You read that right!!........20 Million Pounds is what the British Govt had to Borrow, to pay compensation to Obviously, British, European Business people.
Many Families were paid 10,000 pounds or more at the time, equivalent to MILLIONS of US Dollars today.....each family, and there were apparently upward of 3000 families......

I presume the thought was the black fellas would return to Africa.....somehow???

www.independent.co.uk...

Anyway, How about some compensation for all the British (mainly Londoners and itinerants) convicts who were sent to the American Colonies for over 100 years, 100s of 1000s of them, sent for transportation "For the Term of their Natural Life"....with actual figures being conveniently "Lost" over the years by American Historians.
Oh Yes, and the Few 1000s sent to Australia for 70 years or so.

Reparations? No no no no no no no no no. Absolutely - NO!

No one in this country was a slave in the 1800's. No one in this country owned slaves in the 1800's. If you want to find slavery in the world today you need to look in African and Middle Eastern nations. They never changed. We did.

Here is the problem with reparations. Black people say white people owe them because of slavery. But black people sold their own into slavery. And black people owned slaves. The first legally recognized slave owner in this country was a black man who owned another black man which the courts determined he would own for life. There were also white slaves, most notably the Irish children taken from their mothers arms and sold into slavery - often by black slave traders. Now, add to that the fact that slave owners had sex with slaves. The people descendant of slaves today are probably also descendant of slave owners.

So - who pays who? If you ask black people the answer is clear - white people. But not all white people owned slaves and not all black people were slaves. And who pays the Irish families? And what do you do with people who are descendant of both slave and slave owner? Do they pay each other?

And finally, who is going to pay me? I am Italian. Ever hear of roman slaves? My people were slaves long before most others. But, then again, we didn't sit around complaining waiting for hand-outs. We have some pride. We got up, dusted ourselves off, and made lives for ourselves.

I wonder if that would work for anyone else?

a reply to: Vroomfondel

Agreed, those nations are in negative times. Hence why I rail on trump for supporting north korea or saudia arabia. I'm sure hes just playing the political card, but damn, it's ugly to see an American president praise a dictator of slavery and injustice.

a reply to: Vroomfondel

Black people say white people owe them because of slavery.

NO , some black people say that, the majority of us arent that stupid.

So - who pays who? If you ask black people the answer is clear - white people.

again you should probably stop painting with that huge brush.

And finally, who is going to pay me? I am Italian. Ever hear of roman slaves? My people were slaves long before most others. But, then again, we didn't sit around complaining waiting for hand-outs. We have some pride. We got up, dusted ourselves off, and made lives for ourselves.

As I have stated several times in this post im most definitely not for reparations, but to be fair, we didnt have Roman slaves in the US, so thats a non sequitur

a reply to: Vroomfondel

"roman slaves". This is about America and the country. Not slaves in general mate. It's about the fact that black folk have had a clear disadvantage in financials because of oppression/slavery.

To say that white slaves are the same as black salves is dishonest. Black slavery was much easier as it was easy to justify on race. Black slavery also had a much longer degree of servitude.

a reply to: blueman12

Keep your friends close, your enemies closer.

If you want to plunge the dagger, the best time is an embrace.

a reply to: blueman12




If money could be located and assets seized that was proven to be directly connected to slavery 150 plus years ago, and living descendants of said slaves could be located, I suppose there could be reparations. But I am completely against making people pay reparations who had no ancestors connected to slavery. There are so many people who immigrated to the US after the civil war ended, and as a result had NOTHING to do with the crime of slavery, that I can't visualize and rationalization or justification for making them pay reparations.

a reply to: openminded2011

Except how many degrees away now do you go?

We're talking generations out at this point. How many ancestors in your family tree would have to be connected in order for your assets to be in jeopardy or for you to be potentially lined up for reparations? We're talking several generations back. Not just mom or dad or even grandma or grandpa, but great-great-great or more. You're looking at better than eight, but 16 or more direct progenitors we're examining. What if it's 32 for you?

What if only one of those 32 is tarnished? Do you stand to be punished because of that? What if some of the others worked the underground railroad ... fought for the Union ... were slaves themselves? How would that even balance out?

a reply to: Whatthedoctorordered

I concede - not ALL black people. Big deal. Enough of them do say it and its white people - any white people - that will have to pay it.

I don't here a lot of black people banging on about paying each other... I think the intent is pretty clear.

Maybe we didn't have roman slaves in the US but does the geography invalidate the claim? If slaves of old are owed money from descendants of slave owners that should include all slaves, not just the US slaves. Sorting that mess out in Europe is no worse than it would be here.

If you intend to differentiate yourself from those who would seek reparations you will be making that statement often. There are an awful lot of black people out there talking reparations and they have been for a long time. I first heard about this back in the 70's. And, I know its shocking, it was black people back then too...just not you.

a reply to: blueman12

Its about slavery and reparations - not black folk having a disadvantage in financials.

A slave is a slave to a slave owner. And the Irish had it much worse than most blacks did. Slavery was not justified because of race. It was justified by greed. Greed knows no race.

I don't buy that black people have it tough crap. I see an awful lot of black people driving $100k cars around my neighborhood. If they can do it - so can anyone else. You are feeding that stereotype that leads to "driving while black". You keep saying black people are disadvantaged financially. All day long people hear it every single day. "There are no jobs in my neighborhood. I don't get paid as much as white people. I don't get hired because I am black." Then the same people who hear that every single day, some of them police, see black people all over the place driving Jags and BMWs and Escalades an so on. What is a person supposed to think? You just told them, day after day, that black people can not afford those kinds of cars. Then you have a fit when a cop pulls one of them over suspecting the car may be stolen. So which is it? Are we supposed to be suspicious when we see a black person driving a $100k car? Or are black people not as disadvantaged as you would have us believe? It has to be one or the other. You cant play this one both ways. '

So, which is it?

a reply to: Vroomfondel

I concede - not ALL black people. Big deal. Enough of them do say it and its white people - any white people - that will have to pay it.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease

I don't here a lot of black people banging on about paying each other... I think the intent is pretty clear.

Depends on the circles you hang out in and again the squeaky wheel aspect, none of my friends believe such a thing should ever happen. Nor do most that arent looking for political points or that are pandering.

Maybe we didn't have roman slaves in the US but does the geography invalidate the claim?

Well, since were talking about reparations in the US, yeah it does , quite honestly.

If you intend to differentiate yourself from those who would seek reparations you will be making that statement often. There are an awful lot of black people out there talking reparations and they have been for a long time.

No we dont stand out, we just arent heard because were not the ones screaming about how we need reparations.

Just like people who arent racist dont go around proclaiming how racist they arent.

Can someone please just answer me on this: what do reparations look like? What do we owe and why? How are these numbers drawn up? Let's put this to a realistic standard and debate it. Please.

Otherwise it's just a mudpit trap.

ETA: I don't expect an answer, because the entire idea is asinine.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Right on target. The Democrats push this idea to harm white people.

NO

Black folks that want to succeed have no problem succeeding, as is true for any other race.

Democrats will come up with every way of giving away other peoples money they can think of. That's how little respect they have for blacks and other minorities.

I DO THINK there is a mentorship crisis in the black community in America. Young black men have very few positive male role models in America, especially if they don't have a father or good family male mentor.

Ironically enough... Donald Trump has done more for the urban poor than any president of the last 50+ years.

originally posted by: blueman12
Just curious to what people think of this since this is a popular topic in left-leaning presidential candidates.

Not at all. I'm pretty sure the 360k+ deaths defeating slavery in the civil war more thank makes up for its mistake.

My ancestors were slaughtered to extinction nearly by Homo Sapiens so I think you all owe me a few quid....
I'm part of the 4% the Neanderthal....you evil buggers now pay up.

My family came from the north and fought side by side with slaves during the civil war.

Do they have to pay or can they actually get a thankyou card?

I wonder if the whole slavery thing is merely a way to divert attention from what the old, rich, ruling classes did to everyone?

Go back to the 19th century in the UK and you had people forced into warships and taken from their families, forced to work for the local landowners on pain of starvation, transported and forced to work in the colonies for stealing a piece of bread.

Poor people had no rights and no way out of their lives of servitude. No access to justice and no say in who ruled them.
Sounds pretty much like slavery to me.
The people profiting from this were the same ones who profited from the Atlantic Slave trade, so maybe they owe reparations to many more than just the descendants of black people?

There was what 325,000 slaves brought to the US they had baby slaves maybe to 750,000.

40 Acres and a mule is about $400,000 now in this area.

Divide $400,000 by how many decedents and you don't get much money each maybe $1000

Lawyers and hucksters will get the largest portion because thats the way the system goes.

Whats the cost of confirming your a decedent????

originally posted by: JAGStorm
a reply to: blueman12

My ancestor was brought to America as a slave.

He was an Irish Man. If they open pandora's box, they better be ready to pay everyone,
but no, it is too late. It probably should have been done, but that time is gone.

Here too. One side is also from Minorca where my ancestors were taken from their island by the Spaniards and forced to build my home town of New Smyrna Beach, FL. If they get them I should too.