Social Justice - Black Reparations?

Theland | 23:59 Thu 04th Oct 2018 | Society & Culture

17 Answers

Should not our black citizens, whose ancestors were slaves, receive financial reparations for the stress of knowing their family history was one of cruel servitude?
Also, should such reparations be in the form of investment in black communities, or paid in cash to individuals?
And finally, is it all justified?

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Canary42

The Romans got slaves from many countries which weren't black. So did the Greeks. The Germans and the Japanese used slaves in WW2. There are other examples from history. Add to that the fact that not all our black citizen's ancestors were slaves, and you've got a real problem with that philosophy.

Methinks you're just stirring up our resident xenophobes.

JJ109

It was God's will that allowed these things to happen! Therefore if any reparations are due, it is from God's representatives, the Church.

I agree with you!
Therefore if we were to implement your suggestion all church property should be sold if necessary and given to these nice upright descendants of the slaves.

Spicerack

No, no and no.
But I suspect you knew that anyway.

emmie

no, it's as Canary has pointed out, that slavery in one form or another has existed since man first made an appearance. It's not palatable, but there you are.

geevo

Er, what about seeking compensation for the Cornish?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/30/memory-cornish-coast-dwellers-kidnapped-slavery-culturally-erased/

Old_Geezer

No, neither, and no.

One further question, who do you think should pay for these demands ? Perhaps the descendants of the poor masses who had no say in it, or anything much, at the time ? If so I want financial reparations for the stress of knowing I'm being abused by those getting, or even demanding financial reparations for the stress of knowing their family history may have included servitude, cruel or otherwise, to ancestors they never knew by folk I'm not even related to.

It was considered acceptable by societies at the time: one doesn't get owed a debt for not doing wrong by the rules at the time simply because it's seen as wrong now.

10ClarionSt

If the answer is yes, then we could go further and have the aristocracy of this country compensate the working classes for exploiting them over hundreds of years to the point where the BBC (Antiques Roadshow, Flog It etc) now fawns over such people and the mansions they were able build on the back of millions who were exploited at work. I'm just, like, sayin'. Yer know.

naomi24

No, no, and no - and neither should we be removing statues and pictures. History is history - and it's gone.

rowanwitch

Don't forget many of those sold into slavery were the victims of inter tribal hostilities or slave raiding by the north African people's. Perhaps they could chip in as well. It wasn't seen as wrong then it is now, don't pay reparation pay for extra police in the form of investigation teams to stop it happening now.

10ClarionSt

If only you could convince the Palestinians and Israelis with such an obvious statement, Naomi, even though it's correct.

naomi24

10ClarionSt, now you're asking the impossible.

derekpara

If yes, then I want reparation for the cruelty I suffered as a small child evacuee in WW2.
Oh, and my family can claim for the stress they are suffering because of that knowledge.

But to answer your question:

No.
No.
No.

Old_Geezer

Not quite the same with Palestinians and Israelis as they still consider the wrongdoing ongoing. Would be a better match/comparison if the UK still permitted slavery.