General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates: "THE CASE FOR REPARATION" A Must Read-Let it marinate in your mind & read it again [View all]Kurska
(5,739 posts)"Do you oppose the reparations that were paid to those victims of injustice at the hands of the US government?"
Of course not, money was given directly to the people interned in the camps during world war II. There were meticulous records detailing who was interned. It was a recent historical injustice done to people directly wronged. This was ordered by someone who my ancestors probably voted for. It was an easy thing to do, yet it was the right thing to do.
What are we going to do for slavery reparations though? How are we going to determine who gets them? Around 15% of African Americans are first or second generation immigrants not descended from American slaves. Sorting through that would be a massive bureaucratic nightmare. Do you get them if you have a single ancestor who is a slave? This may shock you, but 30% of "white" people in America have an African American ancestor in their genealogy since the founding of the united states. Off the top of my head that makes around 30% of America who has at least one ancestor who was a slave.
Laugh it off if you want, but I'm really curious how you'd design a system that would be fair and equitable that would determine who got reparations for slavery. What are your criteria? How much do you think is a correct sum?
Now if you're going talking about reparations for jim crow laws and racism. I can see your point, that was more recent in history. However, nearly every racial minority in this country has at one point faced discrimination. Obviously it was rarely to the same degree, nor was it for as long, but do any of them qualify for reparations? Chinese people in California were segregated and at times slaughtered, would they get reparations?
It is really easy to say they deserve reparations, it ain't nearly as easy to say how on earth reparations would actually work.