Reparations for slavery is a proposal by some in the United States that some type of compensation should be provided to the descendants of enslaved people, in consideration of the labor provided for free over several centuries, which has been a powerful and influential factor in the development of the country. This is the definition i found for reparation on wikipedia, and i have to say does that honestly make sense to you? Slavery was not a time to be proud of in American history, but it is not a time for african-americans from modern day to use to try to obtain personal gain. If my great grandparents forcibly worked hard labor for no money, that was wrong yes, but i have no entitlement too the potential earnings of the labor that he produced.
I am sure with almost certainty i can say that this world would be better without racism. But these types of acts that apply only to one race is not going to fix racism. We can not forget what happened in the past and we to learn from it to a point that we wont do it again, but in another sense we have to move on to become better as a nation.
If you ask a kid today what nationality he is, he will say “I’m a little Russian, a little German, a little this, a little that.” But what you wont hear is “I am 100% American.” This comes from teachings they learn from others, the teachings that we should be proud of our heritage. But are we putting to much emphasis on our heritage? Why are we more proud of the nations our ancestors came from than with the nation we are living in now? We should be proud of America and what it means to be called an American. Then and only then would we see people stop think, your ancestors are from Africa, or Asia, or Canada, but start thinking YOU are from america and that is how we are connected, not by race, but by nationality. We have to find common ground before we can truly be united. Then America would truly become the melting pot it has long been called.
-Alex-
Well first off, I will say that I agree on the fact that it owuld be great if all American people would identify with the label of “American” instead of “Black,” “Irish,” Jewish,” and the like.
But as for your thoughts on reparations made to descendants of slaves, first off I would need to point out that Wikipedia is not exactly a great research source for most topics.
That aside, I question why you believe that reparations to those who “forcibly worked hard labor for no money” are wrong. True, it happened in the past, and true nobody alive today was actually in the situation of slavery. But are the effects of these crimes of the past still not felt today? True, there are a number of successful African-American businesspersons who have managed to work their way up the ladder, either through favorable circumstance or through exceedingly hard work. But are the city ghettos not typically filled with poor blacks? Violent crimes involving gangs are often associated with the black populace, but could that POSSIBLY have anything to do with the HUGE economic gap caused by slavery before the Civil War? It has only been 145 years or so since slavery itself was ended, and for how many years after its conclusion were blacks discriminated heavily against to the point of near pre-civil war conditions?
Slavery and the following time period have influenced the modern “ghettoes” we see today, and “reparations” are made in areas such as college-grants and scholarships in order to try and slowly make up for the years of time which White Americans had to develop their financial situation, into which blacks were thrust with little-to-no financial support.
My point was that reparation was wrong as it sets one group apart from others. We do this as a nation all cross the board too. I mean take this month for example, this month is black history month. I’m not saying that blacks did not contribute to American society, on the contrary they have contributed a vast amount. But when we distinguish them as different then everyone else in history. Society then sees them as being different, whether consciously or subconsciously, and this just promotes racism. In stead they need to be studied but along side great Americans of every race. When we see everyone as equal Americans, then and only then can we move away from racism.
-Alex-
But in making reparations to African-Americans,are we truly saying that they are “different people” than ourselves? As a country we make reparations not to recognize that “they are black, and therefore are different from us,” nor are they necessarily made because of the “atrocious cruelties that we dealt to them in the past,” even though they are extremely regrettable and shameful. In making reparations, is not the main goal to give young black Americans, burdened down by generation upon generations of societal and economic strain and prejuidice, the fair and equal chance enjoyed by many richer “white” americans today?
so what is stoping them from having these equal chances? Because if it is in fact race then our problem is people see them as differnt and I see that as racism. So then it would be in our best interest to eliminate racism. But when I say this I bet one of the firs things that pops into your head is that, eliminating racism is impossible. If that is not you I am glad, but this is what the vast majority of people think. I don’t agree with everything Eric Holder says but he said one very important thing, “We are a nation of cowards,” especially when it comes to racism. We don’t fully try to stop racism because we think we will fail in our efforts and this is why we are cowards.
But I know we can do it. If just a few people have the mind set that race doesn’t matter, but instead has the mind set that we are tied together under the American flag, then their kids will get these ideas from them. Ideas like this are passed down generationally. So let’s say that two people have this mind set of nationality rather than race is important, and they have three kids and those three kids and those three kids inherit this idea from their parents. Each of these three kids had three kids of their own and each time they passed this philosophy on. This continues to happen and pretty soon you have an epidemic on your hand, you will have an unstopable spread of this view point. Who knows maybe it will stop racism and it would have all started with us, the small number of people who weren’t cowards and strived to make a difference.
-Alex-
Ok well to say that racism is the only thing holding back African-Americans in modern American society is an understatement. What you say about ideas of non-racism being spread throughtout the country over time is grand, to be sure, and hopefully something we can achieve as a nation. A country without racist ideals still being clung to would be a much more powerful one indeed. But the problem is not even necessarily IN the racism, for all cases. The problem also can be found in that minorities in America, especially “black”-Americans, have been set back economically and socially a great deal by the trials they endured in the past. “White” anglo-saxon communities have had 200 years or more to establish their strong communities, their economic strengths, and flesh out their weaknesses. And that development occurred not amid discrimination, but amongst a whole nation working for the same goal.
But then take a look at the situation of African-Americans. “Officially” enslaved for decades, then decades more of forced labor and hateful discrimination. Relative inability to enter the arenas of higher education and politics, only in the last 50 years or so have they even been given the right to vote and do so without fear of persecution. And even then, when given an “equal” opportunity to make their mark in the nation, as a general group they were forced by circumstance to make their developments in a world of racism and a huge gap in their economic standing.
Even if racism were to be put aside for today (which is not plausible even according to your idea, which as you said would take many many generations), the general lack of money built-up over time and the current situation for many “black” families is one of extremely less “economic” standing than that of “whites.” This causes problems not even due to racism (although it is still a large problem in itself) but in the fact that going to college, buying houses in a good, safe neighborhood, and taking out bank loans are all things which are harder for many blacks to accomplish because of their general lack of money, for various reasons mentioned above.
This is not to say that a number of black men, women, and families have not had a tremendous impact and worked their way up to the top of things, and I applaud them for their accomplishments. But the fact remains that many, many blacks as a general group are stuck in the “ghettoes” of America. This can oft be traced back to the slavery and cruelty we forced upon them generations ago, and reparations and financial aid seem to be the best bet for getting poorer african-americans, with otherwise no means of moving up, a chance to go to college and/or get the money they need to improve their lives, and over generations create a better life for many black people as a whole which can hopefully be equal to, if not better than, the society that “white america” has built up for itself.
If your looking to reparations as a means to jump start the economy in the “ghettoes” of America that would not work. I was arguing that reparations were counterproductive to anti-racism movements, but I can and will argue that it is an economical problem too. Every time America has given out a out time raise in pay to any class in Americans it has failed to restart any economy. This is because when you give out a one time pay, especially in times of need, citizens don’t go out and spend it, which would jump start the economy. Instead they horde it, they save it for a “rainy day.” That money in turn decreases in value due to inflation or any number of factors. Instead the only way to gain wealth would be to risk your money in the economy. Also the only way to boost the economy is to go out and spend. But both of these options don’t seam plausible to a poor man who just got free cash. That is why reparations do not only promote racism but would not work economically either.
There is a a problem with a gap with the minorities on the wrong end. But this is the same argument as the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poor, which is not true. The rich are getting richer, but what happens when the rich get richer? They pump that money back into the economy, the raise wages, they do a number of things that boost our economy. What happens when our economy i boosted? The poor make more money at their jobs. So in essence the rich are getting richer but the the poor are getting richer too. It is this that as pushed America so far, and why we have one of, if not the, highest standard of living in the world.
-Alex-
But if you can see, the economic problems tie INTO the racial problems of the modern day. As a 17 year old teenager I’m sure you’re familiar with the “gangster” sterotype of young black males, dealing drugs and “ridin’ wit’ his homies” as they say, “pimpin’” girls and “poppin’ caps.” All of these stereotypical qualities, however untrue they are, have worked their way into much of our modern culture and general outlook on African American youth. These stereotypes are not associated with rich white neighborhoods, they are almost always used to describe the urban ghettoes where it is commonly held that many black people live, therefore they “must” be like that. Now I will say again that although there are some examples of those kinds of people, the stereotype is extremely false as I’m sure you will agree.
So it would seem that in order to get rid of these racist stereotypes and the evil feelings which come out of them, we would need to bring the ghettoes up to par, or as close as we can get them in a given amount of time, to “normal” American communities.
Now the certain groups within our country have taken it into consideration that money given to african-americans would solve such problems. You say that most people will just hoard the money and it will do them no good. But is that entirely true? Perhaps they dont take that money and spend it right away on a new car, because they have no need for a new car and they have learned to be thrifty, a trait unlearned by many americans. But say, their washing machine goes out. Their car breaks down. Their kids need medical treatment. That money given to them 1) gives them a cushion to fall back on in hard times 2)gives them a greater confidence both in their own economic stability and that of their community and 3) allows them to use that money they WOULD have needed to spend in an emergency on something else, which in many cases will stimulate the economy. Even if it does not, in fact, contribute to economics, the money given to them can still improve their lives and their general outlook towards society. Sure, the reparation money may not be spent in the most “economically viable” or “business practical” way, but it helps those who are lower down on the chain of society and in turn allows them to, over time, work their way up better to the middle-upper levels, which in turn allows/makes society view them no longer as “the ghetto people” who are very separate from themselves, but as a body of people with a culture, mindset, and power close to or equal to their own, which will, with what you suggested earlier about “gernerational” reduction of racism, eventually lead to a society with less racist tendencies and a more equal opportunity, which is what America has strived for.
We’ve already talked about reparations in english class, but I want to comment on something else you said. I think it is great for us all to recognize ourselves as Americans, but do you really think it is a problem for us to also recognize the other aspects of our culture? America is a melting pot, or is on its way to becoming one as you said, so why should we not get to enjoy all the different cultures that make up America. We can still be Americans and have a bond as Americans while also recognizing the fact that we have come from different places. There are things we can learn and enjoy as we look at the differences between people. We should be able to share our different cultural opinions on things as small as food to things as huge as our views of God. We shouldn’t feel pressured to abandon our cultural uniqueness because it would keep us from being American. When I see my white friends or my asian friends or my hispanic friends, I do notice that their races are different from mine, but it doesn’t cause division. I like the fact that I can learn about Filipino culture from Camille or German culture from Andrea or Chinese culture from Jeromie. And I can still call them my friends and fellow Americans. I wouldn’t want them to feel the need to hide their heritage because of the division it might cause. There is much more to gain from listening to and learning from each other about a world that is much greater than America. I don’t think we have to be “American” at the expense of recognizing and enjoying the diversity that defines America.
I think that the different cultures are amazing and interesting. But my point essentially is that we put much emphasis on our heritage to the point that we become more proud of where our ancestors came from then where we are today. It is important to know where we are from and how that plays into our lives today. In actuality that is very important because it plays a huge role of what we are today. But what we don’t do anymore in this country is foster a spirit of patriotism. One man who was able to do this was Obama, and although i disagree with a large many of his polices, I greatly respect the man for what he was able to do in pulling in a sense of patriotism in America. But he only grew it to a small percent of what it could be. Americans should be very proud of where we live, because this is the greatest country on earth. But the majority of Americans would never in their lives say that statement and that is where my problem lies.
-Alex-
While they would save it for a rainy day no doubt if their kid needs medical treatment they would find a way to pay for it regardless. When you give citizens a one time payment is put in place for the soul purpose that they will spend it on something they do not normally buy, or buy more of what they do. You raise the point that they could spend it on something they wouldn’t normally buy. This did happen but this did not happen on a massive scale instead they did what you said first, they held it for a cousin to fall back on in case something unexpected happened. So it did not do what it was intended to do. It was intended to jump start the economy by putting more money into circulation in the area of choice. In doing so the store owners would become richer and thus either hire more workers or raise the wages of the current workers. They in turn would have more money to pump into the economy and the cycle starts over. That was the plan but it did not work. People did exactly what you said and instead of getting a sudden boost in money that the store owners could use to raise wages, they got a slow trickle of money that came in only when people absolutely needed to buy a product. This did not provide enough money for owners to raise wages, or hire new help on a mass scale. So in effect this process did not work. So this program does not help them economically reach any sort of higher classes. For them to stimulate the economy they would need to raise wages, but this could not be government regulated, as the stores would in turn just raise their prices to compensate for the money lost in paying higher wages. But Mr. green you have sharpened my arguments and alowed me to think more deeply into these ideas and i greatly appreciate your input in this blog.
-Alex-