Slave reparations (UK C4 program)

[reds4ever]

Should the decendents of slaves be paid for the work of their ancestors?

I don't see why my tax money should be used to repay a possible decendent of a slave that one of my ancesters may or may not have owned.

I like to think I'm a fair minded socialist but that program really made my blood boil! Anyone else watch it or have an opinion on reparations in general?

[Dauphin]

My family (going back a few centuries) were almost certainly indentured or otherwise serfs. I want my recompense too damnit!

[Snotty]

My other half was getting wound up by the program, so we turned over.

I guess if slaves boosted the growth of our nation, then slavery probably helped create our high quality of life today.

[chequita guevara]

It depends on how it's carried out. In the U.S., while most people think it simply means a check to each Black person, those promiting the idea are actually looking for programs to aid the poor.

The logic behind it is, that even if you or your ancesotrs didn't directly benefit from slavery, you indirectly benefited from the increase in general prosperity created by unpaid labor.

[Chemical Ollie]

This question is mainly raised in US and UK. But how about Brazil? They imported more African slaves than any other country in the Americas. And there was a significant slave trade to the Arabic counties as well, through Zanzibar.

[Sandman]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
It depends on how it's carried out. In the U.S., while most people think it simply means a check to each Black person, those promiting the idea are actually looking for programs to aid the poor.

The logic behind it is, that even if you or your ancesotrs didn't directly benefit from slavery, you indirectly benefited from the increase in general prosperity created by unpaid labor.

Why not just spend more money on the poor generally?

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
The logic behind it is, that even if you or your ancesotrs didn't directly benefit from slavery, you indirectly benefited from the increase in general prosperity created by unpaid labor.

That argument has about as much weight as the argument that by your ancestors being dragged to America from Africa you are better off - after all, would you rather be an American citizen or a citizen of Burkino Faso*?

*insert appropriate African country here.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Sandman
Why not just spend more money on the poor generally?

Helping the poor isn't in vogue anymore.

[reds4ever]

Originally posted by Snotty


I guess if slaves boosted the growth of our nation, then slavery probably helped create our high quality of life today.

That the decendants of slaves are benefiting from as well.

But thats by the by, I just don't see why this generation is culpable for the actions of a previous generation or why the decendents of slaves should be the ones who recieve the reparations in any case.

[chequita guevara]

Let's try another tack. Say your grandad stole something, and then your father inheritied it, and then you. Along comes a decendent of the person who originally owned it. They would be able to take you to court to get it back. This is what's happening with a lot of artwork looted by the Nazis. Getting recompense for unpaid labor is a similar principle.

[Wezil]

Are you in favour Che?

[chequita guevara]

I'm generally in favor of programs that help the poor. If it were a simple plan to hand out checks, I'd be opposed. Do I think that the unpaid labor of Blacks is somehow special and deserving of recompense, especialy when compared with all the rest of the crap people have had to put up with, no. On the other hand, in the U.S., we had Jim Crow, and for that, I think people do deserve recompense.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara Helping the poor isn't in vogue anymore.

Not through the government at least. Still a huge amount of private charity and volunteerism out there. Don't forget about that.

[chequita guevara]

Donations to private charity have diminished considerably. If you are relying on private charity to make ends meet, you are one misstep from homelessness.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
It depends on how it's carried out. In the U.S., while most people think it simply means a check to each Black person, those promiting the idea are actually looking for programs to aid the poor.

The logic behind it is, that even if you or your ancesotrs didn't directly benefit from slavery, you indirectly benefited from the increase in general prosperity created by unpaid labor.

Yeah, well, if we're going that route, the descendents of slaves themselves are undoubtedly better off than they would have been.