It's (finally) time for reparations. It's time for the US to pay its debt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Instead of saying no and being paralyzed with the enormous undertaking reparations would be, focus on the how.

No, I think reparations for slavery are morally wrong as well as unfeasible. I think reparations for Jim Crow or redlining are misaimed.

I'm not paralyzed. I disagree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So we have that same racist Chinese immigrant pp going on and on about his tough life, and why he supports Trump. I called him a deplorable on another thread and I am calling him deplorable here too. Why Jeff did not block him years ago is beyond me.
So insane he is that he is in favor of Trump to avoid dictatorship regime!

Different Chinese poster.

Back in China, we don't have the same sort of social services you see here. You can't go any work anywhere you want, purchase property or have your kids go to public school anywhere you want legally, you are actually tied to a certain area via the Hukuo, or residency system. This has lead to a huge problem of urban poverty as the government was trying not to let everyone move to the cities, and massive abuse of migrants who do move.

Average classroom size in China is usually well over 50 kids, though many of my classes as a child had 80+ kids. The government didn't provide us with free lunch, IEPs etc. In the college system you have to test into your major and school. You can't easily change majors. Corruption is much higher on all levels.

If you grow up in this country, you've hit the global lottery. There are huge advantages that many should take advantage of here, but don't. This is why we sign up for every eligble program we can once we come here, so our kids are well fed and taken care of so they can focus on academics.

In the oppression Olympics that people in the U.S. are fond of, you only drill down to your own level oppression and then stop looking elsewhere. People complaining about their lot in life will steadfastly ignore their own privilege. So, middle class women will focus on their lot in life compared to middle class and wealthy men. Poor white people will ignore how much better they have it than poor black people. Poor black people will ignore how much better they have it than people in other parts of the world. Etc.

I'm a professional, heterosexual white male in the United States. So, I'm fully aware that I hit the jackpot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


Thoughts? Do you think it's time for the US to pay its debt?

I think anyone looking for a handout should have planned better to get what they are looking for themselves. This stupid mentality is going to the the ruin of many things in this country. Last i checked slaves were rounded up by Africans and sold to Europeans that then sold them all over. A lot of bad greedy people were invovled in the slave trade and those people are all long gone. I have more sympathy for Egyptian slaves that were born and died as slaves building tombs for the Paraoh in Egypt than I do any whiney Americans looking for handouts in 2020.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Instead of saying no and being paralyzed with the enormous undertaking reparations would be, focus on the how.

The author of the article focused on the why but got very vague on the how.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of saying no and being paralyzed with the enormous undertaking reparations would be, focus on the how.

The author of the article focused on the why but got very vague on the how.

Probably because the Author was too high on the soap box and also realizes they only have so much cash in their own bank account so is implying YOU toss out your cash to support this silly notion presented about reparations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely agree that systemic racism in nearly all aspects of society have put African Americans at a significant disadvantage in life. And I think I agree with the essay's assertion that the wealth gap is a fairly large part of why it is hard for public policies to break free of the vicious cycle we're in.

The article spent a lot of time arguing why reparations are important (and perhaps "fair") but didn't make much of an argument that particular types of reparations (such as the cash payments it calls for) would actually help. If anything, the article's assertion that much of this comes down to a wealth gap makes me think that cash payments *wouldn't* help. I don't think it's realistic to think that lump sum payments on that scale would be: 1) politically or financially feasible, or 2) particularly likely to have a long-term impact.

Yes, I’m not sure lump sum payments are the way to go but should be considered. -OP

Congress should fund an assessment.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/40

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much do people think they should get in reparations? How "black" does one need to be to get reparations? If I have a great great grandparent that was black, does that mean I get reparations even if I have a Chinese grandparent and three seemingly white other grandparents? Are we going to genetically test people?

She addresses eligibility in her essay.

Not very well.

She’s pretty clear. Do you disagree with her on eligibility?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's start with Democrats to fund this reparations since we know that they're the party of slavery. Obama should sell his Hawaii, Martha's Vineyard and DC homes, which will be approximately $35 million to seed this fund. Dont get me started on Oprah...

Funny, you only suggest two black people.

His mom is multi-generational American White, and his dad was born in Kenya so he was never subject to slavery. Obama is therefore the beneficiary of past slavery against African Americans, as the logic goes.

Just like the rest of the 1%ers, they should both pay more taxes.

But still “funny” you only gave two black people as examples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much do people think they should get in reparations? How "black" does one need to be to get reparations? If I have a great great grandparent that was black, does that mean I get reparations even if I have a Chinese grandparent and three seemingly white other grandparents? Are we going to genetically test people?

She addresses eligibility in her essay.

Perhaps you can share that information then because doing a find on “eligibility” turns up nothing. Again, how much MONEY do you want?

Perhaps you can read it.

It’s a freaking manifesto that’s way TLDR.

It’s filled with great points and data that everyone should read.

[Anonymous]

I am okay with cash payments, but they may not achieve the goal of closing the wealth gap.

It sounds like the real solution is to help African Americans build wealth. For most Americans, their home is the primary source of wealth. Governments should develop policies to raise home values equitably so more diverse neighborhoods see the same appreciation as whiter neighborhoods. And governments should subsidize and facilitate home purchases instead of providing low-income rental housing.

For example, a county or city could set up a program where it would pay market value for homes and sell to eligible individuals and families. This would be easy for sellers who don't want to deal with staging or marketing their homes, plus no real estate commissions, and it would not carry the same negative aspects of designated low income housing.

Also cities should stop artificially depressing home values (often in minority neighborhoods) under the guise of allowing homeowners to stay in their homes. Sure they can stay, but they are not building wealth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So we have that same racist Chinese immigrant pp going on and on about his tough life, and why he supports Trump. I called him a deplorable on another thread and I am calling him deplorable here too. Why Jeff did not block him years ago is beyond me.
So insane he is that he is in favor of Trump to avoid dictatorship regime!

Oh wow, I didn't know I got under your skin so much. Go ahead and call me a deplorable and a racist, people like you are big on labels but come up shy in content. Enjoy your time in the shallow end of the pool.

Example that China does not have that great of an education system. What are you contributing to this thread exactly? Nothing but hate. My Saudi friend lived in China, she reported that she has never experienced such discrimination as there. And she lived in DC too!

[Anonymous]

Again guys, please realize the Blacks never asked for reparations. The American Government suggested this. Blacks are simply asking for what’s owed to them from government.

What if you were promised something that you never received. Wouldn’t you fight for it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of saying no and being paralyzed with the enormous undertaking reparations would be, focus on the how.

No, I think reparations for slavery are morally wrong[/b] as well as unfeasible. I think reparations for Jim Crow or redlining are misaimed.

I'm not paralyzed. I disagree.

How are reparations for redlining and Jim Crow “misaimed”?

What about ongoing systemic racism that have existed continually for 400+ years? It’s not like each of these injustices existed independently. They all manifested from an underlying sense of white supremacy that still exists today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I absolutely agree that systemic racism in nearly all aspects of society have put African Americans at a significant disadvantage in life. And I think I agree with the essay's assertion that the wealth gap is a fairly large part of why it is hard for public policies to break free of the vicious cycle we're in.

The article spent a lot of time arguing why reparations are important (and perhaps "fair") but didn't make much of an argument that particular types of reparations (such as the cash payments it calls for) would actually help. If anything, the article's assertion that much of this comes down to a wealth gap makes me think that cash payments *wouldn't* help. I don't think it's realistic to think that lump sum payments on that scale would be: 1) politically or financially feasible, or 2) particularly likely to have a long-term impact.

Yes, I’m not sure lump sum payments are the way to go but should be considered. -OP

Congress should fund an assessment.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/40

Well, since the article says the wealth gap is the problem, is there some means of changing someone's wealth that isn't a payment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much do people think they should get in reparations? How "black" does one need to be to get reparations? If I have a great great grandparent that was black, does that mean I get reparations even if I have a Chinese grandparent and three seemingly white other grandparents? Are we going to genetically test people?

She addresses eligibility in her essay.

Perhaps you can share that information then because doing a find on “eligibility” turns up nothing. Again, how much MONEY do you want?

Perhaps you can read it.

It’s a freaking manifesto that’s way TLDR.

It’s filled with great points and data that everyone should read.

But I think that reparations paid to people who are not the ones who were injured is morally and ethically wrong. She doesn't convince me that it is the moral thing to do.

There are social and utilitarian reasons to help black Americans including by such efforts as affirmative action (which has varied over the decades) and preferential hiring as well as the programs for all Americans including public education, welfare, Medicaid and Medicare and Social Security, etc. But targeted reparations to people who were harmed by slavery/the failure of Reconstruction/Jim Crow/redlining/racial discrimination is a mushy concept that is problematic for many reasons, practical (which can be overcome) and ethical.

I disagree with her premise.