Slavery reparations

[Tuberski]

What do you think about this:

Edit:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020326/ts_nm/rights_slavery_lawsuit_dc

[orange]

an absolute crock of ****

[Guynemer]

Damn, I was literally just about to post that.

To sum up for people who are too lazy to link:

Aetna Insurance, FleetBoston, CSX Railroad, and other corporations are being sued for having built their businesses on the backs of slaves. The amount of money being sought has not been disclosed, but slaves did about $1.4 trillion dollars (today's dollars) of work between 1790 and 1860.

Now, bear in mind--this isn't the government paying reparations. These would be businesses. Meaning, these aren't "your tax dollars" going towards reparations.


I think it's a fantastic idea. I've always been wary of government reparations, but suing the businesses that were built on slavery? Brilliant. Go get 'em. How beautifully capitalist!

Now let's see David Floyd, et al, list all the reasons I'm wrong, and should quit smoking peyote.

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by orange
an absolute crock of ****

Ha! See! We don't always agree!

I was right about the Iroquois... and I'm right about this.

[Caligastia]

How are they going to pay all the dead people?

[orange]

No (edit: Living) individuals have been directly affected by slavery. Show me a person who was enslaved and still living today, and I'll support that they be awarded reparations.

If you want business to give back, fine. I'm all for it. But not to individuals who just want to leech off of the misfortune of their ancestors. Instead, how about having them pay higher taxes that go directly to urban education/healthcare/services where the population is heavily African American.

Besides, the people that are sueing - you can tell they're already well to do and have already moved up the ranks. They don't need this money, and they're full of **** for acting like they deserve a damn penny of it.

[JohnT]

Guynemer, do you think the government should pay reparations? I mean, if you do then it is logical to ask that corporations do the same.

If you don't, then how do you support the dichotomy you set up? For then you would have a situation where you maintain the right to sue the companies that made money from slavery, but you wouldn't have the right to sue the government that created and maintained the conditions possible for the existence of slavery?

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by Caligastia
How are they going to pay all the dead people?

I'm issuing an APB for a strawman; repeat, strawman argument spotted in "Slavery reparations" thread. Subject is lacking depth and insight; approach and eliminate with extreme prejudice.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Guynemer


I'm issuing an APB for a strawman; repeat, strawman argument spotted in "Slavery reparations" thread. Subject is lacking depth and insight; approach and eliminate with extreme prejudice.

What strawman? I asked a question.

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by JohnT
Guynemer, do you think the government should pay reparations? I mean, if you do then it is logical to ask that corporations do the same. Otoh, if you don't then how do you support the dichotomy?

I mean, you want to sue the companies that made money from slavery, but you don't want to sue the government that created and maintained the conditions possible for the existance of slavery?

Simple. The government would have to use our money to do it. My ancestors, to the best of my knowledge, never owned slaves. I know for sure my fiancee's never did; her father is a German immigrant. He shouldn't have to pay reparations.

But the corporations that made their money through slavery? Why the hell not?


As for the strawman that "no slave is still alive," come off it. So you're telling me that children of Jews who were murdered in WWII aren't entitled to the wealth that the Nazis stole from them and hid in Swiss banks?

[DinoDoc]

Why should someone who was never a slaveowner cut a check to someone who was never a slave?

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Guynemer

As for the strawman that "no slave is still alive," come off it. So you're telling me that children of Jews who were murdered in WWII aren't entitled to the wealth that the Nazis stole from them and hid in Swiss banks?

In this case you dont even have the children of the children.

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by Caligastia


In this case you dont even have the children of the children.

Are you kidding? 137 years really isn't all that long a time; we like to separate ourselves from slavery, but it wasn't too long ago that it was alive and well. There are still children of slaves alive, Cali. Guaranteed.

[WhiteElephants]

Originally posted by Guynemer
As for the strawman that "no slave is still alive," come off it. So you're telling me that children of Jews who were murdered in WWII aren't entitled to the wealth that the Nazis stole from them and hid in Swiss banks?

Show me a child of a slave and I'd be more than welcome to pay them reparations.

[Tuberski]

This one is actually kind of hard for me to decide. On the one hand these companies and the US were somewhat built on the backs of slaves.

However, those slaves were BOUGHT from Africa, other black tribes, are they seeking reparations from them?

Also if their ancestors weren't slaves where would they be? Africa, as a comedian(Eddie Griffin) said " Africa ain't no place for a n....black person.