Should reparations be paid for slavery?
Yes, the pain still exists.
Side Score: 60
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No, it's been almost 200 years
Side Score: 141
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Arguments in favour: 1. Yes because, in the past they did terrible work and this didn’t improve the family. The family could still have bad memories from a generation that in their family there was slavery and that there was work which wasn’t fair. The family’s want to forget those memories by getting money. 2. Yes because if their family didn’t inherit some money of their family they would/can be poor too (because of the generation that their family way more back was poor and because of that they didn’t inherit some money). Inherit means ‘’erfen’’. 3. Maybe some people got illness in their genes from earlier family. This can be dangerous for them because of that they are poor they can’t pay medicines and the hospital so much more of the will die. And I think the government doesn’t want to sit with dead bodies because they didn’t get money. If they survive the illness would go much further into the family and the family also would be bigger so much more people will get this illness.. Arguments Against: 1. The people/family are already dead so why should we pay the family for the dead people. 2. Maybe they won’t use the money for good things like food, medicines. They could also use it for drugs and alcohol. It would be weird if we would give them money for that. 3. The Netherlands is also in the crisis so we can’t give them too much money for this. We need it more as they do. 4. Maybe they said they were family of the dead family (while they weren’t) and we give them money. Then it wouldn’t be not fair to give them this because we know that some people earn it more as they do. We are not going to give them just for free money. 5. The government disagreed some people to give money so why would we give them money? If we would do that everybody wants money. This would be not handy for the Netherlands. Conclusion: I got to an conclusion that I am against it because the arguments of against make much more sense than the arguments in favour because there are much more reasons to be against than in favour. I also think this because we could use it much more for useful things. So my conclusion is: It is not a good idea to give the family’s money because of the arguments I gave in Arguments Against. They make much more sense than the arguments favour because then we are only thinking about the family. Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
Unfortunately the pain still exists for a lot of people who feel like they are still oppressed by white people. The majority of African Americans still live in poverty and have worse educational system, health care, and career opportunities than do most white Americans. I don't think necessarily that "reparations" should be paid, but I do think that we need to do more to help African Americans help themselves out of the poverty cycle. Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
The only trouble is that u know a lot of white people live in povetry too. But they don't have an old big "discrimination" thing to blame this on. We should take the facts straight. People are NOT equal. We can't have equal opportunities for everyone. Cos' we are not equal when we get birth. A child of some junkies won't ever have equal opportunities with a child of two professors just because he is genetically dumber. He won't have the same intellectual and cultural level etc. I think that nowadays when we have tons of opportunities for a person that really wants to fight his\her way from poverty. If a person is stubborn and strong enough - he\she will make it. And if not - well than they deserve povetry. The government should be concerned about those who can't fight by their own: mentally and physically challenged people, old people, children. But it is ridiculous when a grown up man is whining smth like "Oh nobody gave me a chance so i ended up as a bum" Come on u're a man, u have two hands and a working brain - go work and fight for your rights Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
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I agree that people point the finger at discrimination and other scapegoats quite often. It just makes people feel better to transfer the responsibility to other people or concepts. It might make them feel better for the time being, but they still continue to remain in the same miserable situation. I also agree that the government should (and they are) help those who cannot make decisions on their own. I also think people who are unfortunately born into poverty, drug and gang-infested communities should be helped a little more by the government. I know they are capable of making their own decisions, but unfortunately many of their choices are limited to what is in front of them and what surrounds them. That's where social workers and non-profit agencies come in, to show them what is possible and what they are capable of. So instead of reparations, the government should invest more into poverty stricken areas so the youth from these areas can grow into adults who can contribute something positive to the society. Everyone will be happy. Economy may grow because poor people will have more money to spend, crime rates may drop, and these people may hopefully live happy, drug free, and nonviolent lives. Of course this is not only for poor African Americans. It's for Whites, Latinos, Asians, Russians, and all other people who are born into poverty and bad environments. Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
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How much more can the government do to "help" these African Americans who still say that they are oppressed by white people. Unless they live in KlanCity I really don't see that happening. As a person who is easily identified as African American (though i myself identify myself as American Only), i find that any problem i have in suceeding is easy to blame on myself because if i worked harder, i might be bill gates now. As a junior accountant, i have seen many black people in my same field who are older say that they can't get ahead because they are black. If that is the case how is it that I, a 24 yr old was able to make it further than they were in a shorter span of time. I just do my best to fit in, i watch sports, so i can speak with the male execs, and I don't talk slang at work. And I also don't blame any success or lack thereof on anyone else other than myself. unless a "white man" actually comes up to me and says "I'm not gonna let you succede" and then maybe i can blame it on the MAN. (LOL) Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
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Yes. However, the reason is not because the pain still exists. Rather, it is because the reparations allow for the playing field to be levelled. Furthermore, people who grow up in an enviroment that stigmatises learning deserve an opportunity because it is harder for them to excel. Also, it is clear that society stigmatises black people (integration debates pointed out that back in the day a white student recieved 5x more funding than a black student). Futhermore, there is something called passive learning. A child of 2 proffessors is going to be exposed to more information passively than the child of two factory workers. However, if the child of the factory workers does have decently through hard work and having grown up in subpar conditions, then they deserve an opportunity also. Affirmative action does this. HOWEVER, it does not accomidate for poor white people. HOWEVER, poor black people ARE exposed to more social stigma, and have less opportunity without affirmative action (this has been proven statistically). It was statistics that brought about Affirmative Action, not just pretty words. Reparations are a means to allow for opportunities to be obtained. You need money for everything these days even applying to University. Reparations do this. Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
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Yes African Americans should receive reparations, because it is what is right, just, and fair Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
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Because you Cannot discount the effect....that slavery had on the ECONOMICS...of this country...and the leg up it gave white people...“Perhaps white denial stems from the very real material advantages that have come from the system of white privilege and racial subordination, and which whites fear either consciously or subconsciously would be threatened in a more equitable system. After all, acknowledging unfairness then calls decent people forth to correct those injustices. And since most person are, at their core, decent folks, the need to ignore evidence of injustice is powerful. To do otherwise would force whites to either push for change (which they would perceive as against their interests) or live consciously as hypocrites who speak of freedom and opportunity but perpetuate a system of inequality.” -Tim Wise, Speaking Treason Fluently Anti-Racist Reflections From An Angry White Male Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
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Reparations definitely should be paid to ALL the descendants of slavery,how dare you heartless,greedy,insensitive,arrogant,i slavery myths -part 1
Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
So you're saying that we should pay reparations to descendants of slaves over 200 years later? Did you suffer from this? Did I own a slave? No. Reparations is just an excuse to get something free for something that never happened to you. If we were to do this, it should be given to those who were directly affected by it. If you want to help African Americans and give something back, education is what it should be. African Americans need to be educated more than given reparations for something that happened many years ago, long before their time. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
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You can remember the Titanic sinking. The Holocaust, and the U.S attack on 911, but you want us to forget about slavery, which not one penny was spent to repair. You are paying for the Holocaust, and that did not happen in America. You can pay for the wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and even my grand children has to pay for it, when your immediate fathers started that war, and we had nothing to do with that. You say you don't have to pay for slavery, and it's legacy, because you had nothing to do with that . But my grand children who are not even born has to pay for wars when they had nothing to do with your father's wars, and are being charged for it. You dam right I said you have to pay for slavery, and the legacy of slavery, because one dam thing for sure your grand parent's had something to do with the war against black people. Why the hell do we have to help you pay for it, and your think you don't have to pay for slavery, and the legacy therein post slavery. It is no different now, then it was back then, when future generations has to pay for it's monstrous evil past, this is why you too has to pay for your forefather's and your grand parent's past. Paying for slavery is now charged to you, just as the murderous war in Iraq, and Afghanistan has to be paid by my grand children. What did you think that we are so ignorant, and uneducated that we don't know this. never again will I accept any excuse you give that you don't have to pay reparations for slavery it's legacy because you had nothing to do with it, and for what your grand parent's did to mine.. I DEMAND REPARATION, IT'S OUR MONEY AMERICA, AND WE WANT IT NOW!! Read this and dispute it Psybadek. One thing for sure reparations doesn't need the opinion of ignorant white people to be paid. It goes along the lines of facts. The evidence is there is a psychological impact of what years of abuse can do to a people, which impairs them and their offspring. Although we Africans Descendant did not experience actual slavery the legacy that followed slavery was inflicted to cause definite harm to the descendant's of slaves. The KKK movement is evidenced by the mindset of the offspring of white who continued the harsh treatment towards, and against blacks. many of your responses to this is evident that black people has endured nothing but brutal treatment as a retaliation for no longer having to be slaves it is called retaliation and is similarly situated to slavery's past and present affects, it is seen in the attitudes toward the African Descendant that you carry the same or similar vitriol against blacks as when your ancestors did who abuses Africans and felt they had that right. And on the other hand it is you white people who needs the education, what better way then to educate you then by paying reparations. The same as you will to the people of middle East. The Japanese, and the Indians . Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
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I agree. Even if you look at the concept of "slavery" in America, you'll see that slavery was banned in the Northwest Territories in 1787, and the influx of slaves from Africa, the international slave trade, was banned January 1st, 1808 [in America]. Despite this, slavery remained and even flourished, with the number of slaves increasing between this time period and the Civil War more than five decades later. This is because the quality of life of Black slaves, despite being poor and enduring constant physical abuse, was comparatively higher than that of the average African. This was because many slave owners invested large amounts of money in their slaves and felt their lives should be long enough at least to procreate, but also because it was easier and cheaper to expose a slave to cheap Western medicine than it was to buy a new slave. Not only that, but what are reparations really for? Is it because the descendants of slaves are living in poverty, or simply that they are descendants of slaves? While there needs to be more proactive programs to help the poor in America [not just poor of a specific skin color], that do more than simply hand out cheques and create dependencies, is necessary to keep in mind that slavery in Africa existed long before westerners came to Africa for slaves in 1619, and exists to the present day. By transporting poor, black men and women from Africa, they effectively gave these people's descendants a break from slavery, and exposed them to the greater freedoms and personal liberties available in America. The reparations of slavery have been paid in full -- a break from the long-existing cycle of slavery in Africa, a chance for free education and health care in America, greater personal freedoms, and living in a country that has been free of civil and domestic wars for nearly 150 years. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
That was my first thought, too, but my second was that reparations and apologies are quite different. If the question was "should we compensate..." then I'd be in this column on that one. I don't need to compensate for something my great great great grandfather did to yours, but if helping make up for some negative long-term effect it had could make the world better, I'd help. Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
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People need to acknowledge the complexity of the situation. It's not just, "Mr. Slave Trader is dead. I'm not responsible." A wrong has been committed. On one hand, even if we were not directly involved in slavery, we, as the successors and new representatives of the United States, need to take responsibility for it. One example is Virginia's Resolution #728, which apologized for slavery. We can't be like Tom and Daisy in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, who "let other people clean up the mess they had made." On the other hand, it has been a long time. Monetary reparations will not work anymore. And many would argue that many (but not all) African-Americans have had a "defeatist" mindset ingrained in them, something that will take a long time to recover from. In the end, the best strategy for the moment is to just acknowledge the wrong done, learn from it (not just slavery, but the fact that our actions today have a huge impact on tomorrow), and move on. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
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Reparations by whom? If a sympathetic company wants to then thats their prerogative. It isn't the government's business to pay reparations with our tax money for something which I am not guilty of, and likely the majority of the civilized world is no longer guilty of. A) because it's wasteful and not the role of the government. B) governments have a tendency to be self-righteous, but really their roll is symbolic because the money isn't theirs. Therefore I think if one wants to donate to a fund or organization at their own expense that is fine, but I'm not going to. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
I don't see why I should have to pay for something that my ancestors may not have even had a hand in. Expecting white people to pay black people because their ancestors were slaves is pure racism. If a charity was created to pay these people and nothing was required of the average citizen, I say go for it. But forcing me to pay would be an infringement on my rights. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
There isn't enough money in the world to pay reparations for current injustices, not to mention the injustices of the past. Those who are presently enslaved ought to be freed and their slave-masters punished (including but not limited to paying reparations.) Those who are victims of violence or fraud should be compensated by the perpetrators. But those who have not themselves been slaves are not justified in seeking reparations from those who were not slaveholders (nor were their parents). It is unfortunate that previous generations committed all sorts of injustices, but those people are now deceased and beyond the reach of our legal system. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
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the oppressors arent long gone.they are alive and kicking all over America dont be so ignorant,and those who reaped the benefits of free slave labor are still benefitting.The system that was born from slavery definitely exists and must exist to protect the individuals responsible for these crimes.The same way old wringled nazis are still being persecuted we need to round up all the homeland terrorists that used to wear thoe white robes and kill innocent people all over America Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
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You can remember the Titanic sinking. The Holocaust, and the U.S attack on 911, but you want us to forget about slavery, which not one penny was spent to repair. You are paying for the Holocaust, and that did not happen in America. You can pay for the wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and even my grand children has to pay for it, when your immediate fathers started that war, and we had nothing to do with that. You say you don't have to pay for slavery, and it's legacy, because you had nothing to do with that . But my grand children who are not even born has to pay for wars when they had nothing to do with your father's wars, and are being charged for it. You dam right I said you have to pay for slavery, and the legacy of slavery, because one dam thing for sure your grand parent's had something to do with the war against black people. Why the hell do we have to help you pay for it, and your think you don't have to pay for slavery, and the legacy therein post slavery. It is no different now, then it was back then, when future generations has to pay for it's monstrous evil past, this is why you too has to pay for your forefather's and your grand parent's past. Paying for slavery is now charged to you, just as the murderous war in Iraq, and Afghanistan has to be paid by my grand children. What did you think that we are so ignorant, and uneducated that we don't know this. never again will I accept any excuse you give that you don't have to pay reparations for slavery it's legacy because you had nothing to do with it, and for what your grand parent's did to mine.. I DEMAND REPARATION, IT'S OUR MONEY AMERICA, AND WE WANT IT NOW!! Side: Yes, the pain still exists.
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Technically reparations have been paid in the form of financial aid, affirmative action and other legislation that give a benefit to minorities. I think that anyone who is alive today that wasn't a slave that says that slavery has hurt their chances to succeed in life, is just using that as an excuse to not pull themselves up by the boot straps. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
Paying reparations for slavery is absolutely ridiculous. Slavery has been abolished for more than a hundred years and while racism and prejudices still exist putting the past behind us is the best way to resolve those issues. If people would just stop an think, hey you know what even though my ancestors were oppressed and enslaved, I'm not and I can make the world a better place if I'd just drop it. Because most of the people living today, aren't even related to slave owners. Those big plantation owners were a minority with a lot of money and a lot of influence. Think about this, if slavery hadn't brought so many Africans to the United States, those same people who are bitching about getting reparations could be scrounging for a scrap of food and starving back in Africa. So do the world a favor, look to the future and get your heads out of your asses. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
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It all depends on the definition of reparations. I am against just giving money to people for previous wrongs; it's only a simple fix, it doesn't solve the problem. Things like affirmative action, however, are justified in this society. Not only does racism still exist, but the hardships blacks and all minorities have to deal with create an unequal society. Not that I don't agree with helping poor white people leave poverty, but something needs to be in place to help make this a fair society where anyone can rise to the top, regardless of race Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
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There is not a race upon the planet that has not, at one time or another, been enslaved to another one. Indeed, it may well be called a cultural 'rite of passage' in the consistency with which the presence of enslavement is present in all races and cultures that have risen on this planet. Why should this instance be treated differently than any other? Those who have not been decimated by it have gone on to recover and move past and flourish. Maybe the descendants of the slaves would be better served to work toward making their ancestors proud rather than whine about wanting money for the treatment of their ancestors. Or has selling out now become so fashionable in the community that the notion of honoring the struggle and pain of the ancestors by becoming more than they were allowed not as important as how many greenbacks you can get? Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
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Reparations should not be paid to the descendants of slaves. The only reason this is even been an issue is because people have seen money, land, and certain possessions being returned to Jewish people that were taken by the Nazis, but what people fail to realize is these things were not reparations, Jewish families were being given things that their families rightfully owned. The only thing taken from slaves was freedom, and that has been returned. As a Black American I can honestly say the only people in this country that have lost things that were never returned are the Native Americans. If THEY aren't paid then how can anyone else be. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
No way. As if the educational and even career-related benefits of being African-American aren't already enough, and it is absolutely unnecessary. No one still alive was enslaved in America. Their children are also gone, and the effects of slavery are absolutely and positively minuscule. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
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they need to stop. get over it. and move on. alot of them don't to work and are blaming this and government. they need to get off there butts drop the beer and get a job. I commend those black people that work and don't complain you are one of America's greatest white/black people. :D Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
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I think it is highly racist for you to presume that most African American people do not work and drink beer all day. And news flash, not only are there many black people who are presidents and ceo's of companies. And there is a very large amount of white American's that complain about how they can't get a fair shake because of affirmative action which is complete crap, like the leg up they got from jim crow didn't help. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
During the1940's over 100,000 Japanese-American citizens were placed in internment camps across the US. Although financial reparations were requested, they were not completely fulfilled. This was only 60 years ago and yet no Japanese-American blames their problems on internment camps. No black person who was put into slavery is alive today, why do their ancestors deserve it? Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
Although the pain still exists, it's hard to trace all ancestry for both slaveowners and slaves. It's true that the slavery has thrown back black people in terms of equality, and we're still not at a level playing field, giving reparations would only make it more unequal. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
Do people believe all white people had slaves?A lot of people starved to death and were dirt poor in those times that were white.If they want an apology for taking them from their land and enslaving them fine but thats as far I think it should go. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
NO! Slavery has been banned for almost 200 years. People of African decent now have the same rights as everyone else. Affirmative action was a good way to push for equal opportunities and equal treatment when it first began, but now they are just milking it for all it's worth. No one should have an unfair advantage in life...no matter how bad their ancestors had it. Side: No, it's been almost 200 years
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