Do you think African American deserve repuration due to the building of their an

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   Itswrittenposted 14 years ago

   Do you think African American deserve repuration due to the building of their ancestors without usin

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   SheriSappposted 14 years ago

   No, I do not. The African Americans today have a higher standard of living than most blacks in Africa. Also, NONE of those alive now have EVER been enslaved in this country. I have never owned a slave, and I shouldn't have to pay for the sins of the past. Affirmative action also has greatly aided the development of the lives of minority citizens.

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   reallifesituationposted 14 years ago

   No disrespect, but it's reparations. And to SheriSapp, no you have probably not owned a slave, and you're also probably not black, nor have thoroughly studied the subject.  As a black woman, I don't feel that reparations are the key either, but why must non African Americans always default to "I have never owned a slave...". This has NOTHING to do with the present day effects that slavery has on African American families.
   
   The present day country was built by white Americans. They came to this country with wealth and continued to build wealth over hundreds of years while blacks worked just to survive. This is just a simple, brief and single example of why African Americans are collectively hundreds of years behind in terms of building large amounts of sustainable wealth across generations.
   
   There are success stories, one day I will be one of them.  But I wonder SheriSapp, what else lies behind that answer...

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      sarascaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Obviously, you haven't thoroughly studied your subject matter, either.  The present-day country was built by a melting pot of mixed races.  And your "white Americans" were once slaves, too, by the way.

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   Kebennett1posted 14 years ago

   No I do not. Just like I do not think that that anyone should pay for the fact that their were also slaves of other races in the past. The past is over. Now and the future is what matters. If we continue to dwell on the past and its ugliness and hold people who took no part in it responsible for it then it only continues to divide us, 'the human race'. My daughter is black and I am white. We are not divided against each other. A murderer in prison, his or her family is not responsible for their actions. Slavery was never right, but I had nothing to do with It. I abhor racism. I will gladly stand beside my human brothers and sisters of any color and fight against racism, but reparation for the past, no. It only causes further dissension between people who need to concentrate on the here and now, and on the future.

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   Itswrittenposted 14 years ago

   Thanks for the replies and I thank you also for helping me with my spelling, but a part of history that wasnt shared was the fact that blacks had land, property , cattle and bank accounts but most was ran off their own land. The Indians were wiped out from this land to establish a threshold of poverty to the poor and which were afican americans who knew how to work the lands was forced to work these lands and died on and for these lands . Equal oppotunties never came until recent. ANd still you can't find a decent job within your community only thing left is a slave wage or travel outside of the local area to work at a fast food restaurant that is also in your area but pays more you travel outside of your area. Same as before a fight to survive , given a hand full of seeds and no horse to work the land.

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   Arthur Fontesposted 14 years ago

   There were many chinese immigrants who were used and abused to build our railroads.  There were Mexican families who lost everything they owned when their land was handed over to the U.S.  Everyone knows what happened to the Native Americans, not only was their property confiscated but a system of genocide was also placed upon these people. When and where would reparations be calculated?  I do not think it would be a reality to come up with a fair plan that anyone could agree with.

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   Who is John Galt?posted 14 years ago

   America doesn't work right when we give hand-outs to people who are able to work themselves.  Years of welfare have already ruined generations of people, many of them African Americans, and caused them to live in near poverty. 
   
   Giving so-called "reparations" requires taking money and property from people who had nothing to do with the original theft/mistreatment.  To do so not only is morally wrong, but economically hurtful and will create more racial hatred. 
   
   Millions of Americans of all races and cultures came to America with little more than the shirt on their backs.  They were jsut happy for the oportunity to work hard and create a comfortable life for themselves.  That is the American dream and the secret to our country's wealth and success.  To redistribute wealth from those to create it to those who you think deserve it destroys both the makers and the takers.  When you take too much from the makers they don't want to be makers anymore.  When everyone is a taker, there is nothing to give out anymore.

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   lizistantonposted 14 years ago

   I do not think African Amereicans or any other groups of people deserve any form of reparations for the labor of their ancestors.  The past is the past.  The ideas of right and wrong were different -- which is neither good nor bad, just different. 
   
   The option to be Americans is revocable by the owner of that right. The opportunities for Americans are present, for some these opportunities may be difficult; for others, easy  No matter one's lot in life, what we make of it is our own.
   
   Nowhere in the Constitution does it discuss reparations to victims.  Don't be a victim.  You are not due any form of recompense.

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   someonewhoknowsposted 14 years ago

   If,you believe in karma,things like that,work themselves out without our having to consciously be aware of how they are  worked out.It's not necessary for us to try to figure things like that out,but we do need to be aware that we eventually get what we deserve over time.We can Just  do the best we can with what we have at any given moment in time.That could be one reason we are having so much economic difficulty right now.Karma working itself out.It,may get worse,if there isn't compansation of some kind.To whom that compansation helps,and how is the $64,000  question.I just picked a number out of thin air,since the dollar seems be worth less than it used to be,who am I to say what's fair.
   
   Karma,works both ways.If,you believe in reincarnation,what if,you being born as a person of color were born into that race to compansate for your previous life as a persecutor of people of,that race.It's something to think about.But,not too much,I don't want to give anyone an inferiority complex I'm sure I have enough negative karma of my own to deal with as it is.

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    Christopher Floydposted 14 years ago

    This country needs to let go of race, which is a misnomer anyway, Chinese, Irish, Italians, Blacks, Hispanic labor under Truman (I believe), who did we not use?  Blacks are the only group whose ancestors were enslaved in this country.  That was a terrible thing.  And treatment after emancipation didn't improve for a hundred years or so.  We all know this. But reparations?  No.  All of the following had the choice and were not enslaved, but Chinese laborers who died building the railroads, Italian and Irish immigrants who died building cities and subways, Hispanics who died building Truman Dam, etc... each would have a court case for due compensation, but no ancestor has applied to my knowledge.  And don't forget the Jews, whose immigration quotas were lowered in the U.S. during the Holocaust.
    I have no idea if someone in my family almost 200 years ago owned a slave.  I do know that my ancestors in Scotland were forbidden under penalty of death to use their last names.  Their land was taken and their religion outlawed.  On the other side of the family, my ancestors from Ireland got off the boat in about 1862 in New York City.  Guess what happened to them?  Union Blue.  We can always talk about that other misnomer, reverse discrimination.  If we as Americans delve into the reparations entitlement mindset then everyone can come up with a reason why they have some reason to get paid.  It is shameful, and it dishonors the memories of a host of people from Abe Lincoln to MLK.

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    Writer Davidposted 14 years ago

    reallife, at what point do you get past...the past?  As you have stated, no one alive today owned slaves.  So, why do the sins of the father must be continually be blamed on the sons (or daughters)?  you stated that African-Americans are 100 years behind in wealth as compared to others.  How are you being held back?  On what grounds?  There are avenues that you have that I never had (Affirmative Action).  So, again, at what point do you get past, the past?  Or do you prefer to keep focusing on that instead of the future?

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    raccoon301smithposted 13 years ago

    From history I have read about indentured servants (many white) who served in positions close to slavery.  Poor whites often had less than slaves.  Many who worked in mines were paid in a special curency that had to be used in the company store; that was close to slavery. 
    
    In the Bible I read about Israelites who were enslaved in Egypt (Egyptians are Africans), so Jews today wouyld have to be paid by Africans.  Also slavery was not new to this country.  There have been slaves for thousands of years by different countries, including Afticans enslaving others.  Countries taking over other countries has gone on for thousands of years, where killing, raping, stealing, etc. (even by religious groups). took place.
    
    It would be impossible for all who have been mistrreated to be repaid.  In most cultures people have been discriminated against because of looks, size, rich or poor, and many other ways.  In my humble opinion, the best way to treat others is what the Bible says, "Love your neighbor as yourself".  I also believe that my neighbor is anyone not myself.  Living in a world with free will, this will not happen, so we have to do the best we can.  Having said all that, I know that I do not have perfect understand, and could be wrong.

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    sarascaposted 11 years ago

    Reparations = welfare.
    
    America is one of the few, if not the only, countries that actually has a high-functioning welfare system.
    
    Caucasians were slaves in England LONG before the African Americans even set food on American soil...they were called "indentured servants" but it amounted to the exact same thing...do what you're told, when you're told, where you're told to do it, for no pay and very little food/clothing/shelter.
    
    Chinese were slaves in America, as were Mexicans, Native Americans, and other races...so why do African Americans always feel like they've got the market cornered on that whole topic?  Also, it was the DUTCH that went to Africa, loaded them into ships, and carted them to America to sell them...so if you really want to demand payment for something that happened to your great-great-great grandfather, you're finger-pointing in the wrong direction.

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    Chinachimoposted 10 years ago

    I've seen so many typical comments like 'its wasn't me it was them.' It's very childish because not only did we take slaves we also destroyed their country. We still to this day, take their resources for pennies and sell them for pounds. Then we say all those children in Africa, but the truth is, it's all the aftermath of our trespasses. African Americans make up most of the poor population in America, yet the Africans are the main reason America is as successful as it is. We didn't do the work ourselves. First of all, we forcefully took the land from the natives, so the land isn't even ours. Then we ripped of the Africans and bought resources for nearly nothing and made a fortune out of it. Yet, they are left with nothing and no matter what you say, it is hard for them to fend for themselves in this country because of us, racism still lives and grows in our hearts, even though we depend on them. I often hear dunces say 'if you are not happy, go back to your country.' That is the worst thing to wish upon America. But one day they will come to their senses and stop giving you resources, the African Americans will go back to Africa to build it back up to the place it used to be, a land filled with the riches and resources, that made America what it was. Then we will be left to live with nothing. You see our relationship with Africa is co-dependent. We need to help them in any way possible. One, because they deserve it. Two because we need them.

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    Darryl D Thomasposted 9 years ago

    The empire in which we live has done many evils to become rich off of the turmoils of many people such as:blacks, Native Americans, Hispanics, Irish, and the Chinese. It is my belief that this nation is going to reap what it has sewn against other nations. America has bombed innocents. She's committed to war for greed. She has lynched human beings. She has always imprisoned the poor. Now she is reaping. She is poor. She is in debt. She is politically controlled by bureaucratic oligarchs at the top. To say the least, she's on her way to hell in a hand-basket. Things will only get worse for her. Therefore, my answer is that blacks and all minorities that have been chatteled, used, and abused deserve reparations. However, America cannot afford to provide reputations for those she has wronged, because she can not repair her self.

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    Marvelous Menuposted 9 years ago

    Yes. But AA people will never get any such thing from this government.

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    tamarawilhiteposted 7 years ago

    Blacks signed up for welfare en mass in the 1960s seeing it as reparations.

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