Ending the Slavery Blame-Game (Obama Favors Reparations in Theory)

New York Times ^ | April 23, 2010 | Henry Lousi Gates, Jr.

[C19fan]

THANKS to an unlikely confluence of history and genetics — the fact that he is African-American and president — Barack Obama has a unique opportunity to reshape the debate over one of the most contentious issues of America’s racial legacy: reparations, the idea that the descendants of American slaves should receive compensation for their ancestors’ unpaid labor and bondage.

There are many thorny issues to resolve before we can arrive at a judicious (if symbolic) gesture to match such a sustained, heinous crime. Perhaps the most vexing is how to parcel out blame to those directly involved in the capture and sale of human beings for immense economic gain.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

The majority of Gate’s article describes Africa’s complicit role in slavery , which is actually quite refreshing.
Maybe Africa should pay reparations ?

[ZULU]

“The black elites in the US are using the same playbook those in SA and ZIM used after taking charge in their countries. Sadly, the results will be the same if they are allowed to play the race card and guilt white America into bending to their demands for reparations.”

If most Americans haven’t got the guts to stand up to anti-western, anti-Christian and anti-Jewish hating Muslims in their midst, how will they ever stand up to these homegrown problems?

[Repeat Offender]

What about decendants of blacks that owned slaves? Yes, there were blacks in America that owned slaves.

Isn't it possible one ancestor was a slave and the other a slave owner?

[Repeat Offender]

http://americancivilwar.com/authors/black_slaveowners.htm

[griswold3]

After his arrest incident, I’m surprised he came out this way on the topic.

After the incident, there was a forum on CSpan with the likes of Michael Dyson. The comment that struck me as most telling was when a woman said, “It was a good thing it was Skip Gates. He was nice about it cause he likes you. It would have been a different story if it had been one of us. The rest of us up here don’t like you at all.”

[PzLdr]

My ancestors didn't arrive in the U.S [legally, I might add] until the beginning of the Twentieth Century. We never owned a slave,or killed an Indian. Like the great bilk of Americans today. I'm tired of this crap. Give them ‘zero’.

And as an addendum, deduct from any reparations [if given] the cost of the U.S share of the joint anti-slavery patrols done with the Royal Navy prior to the Civil War, the cost of the Civil War [or at least 1/2 of it] from the date of the Emancipation Proclamation, part of the cost of reconstruction, and the costs of any entitlement programs that served, in major part, the African American community.

Oh yeah, and deduct the cost of the slaves [legal property until 1865] for the losses suffered by their owners when they were freed [Compensation, anyone?].

[wardaddy]

how about reparations for bringing Africans to a much better place than where they were

[Psalm 144]

“Isn’t it possible one ancestor was a slave and the other a slave owner?”

Given the DNA, it is certain that this is true in many instances.

If we are going to do reparations based on race though, I really must insist that no arbitrary cutoff date be in applied, or favoritism to any one group of perpetually aggrieved.

Violence is violence.

Theft is theft.

Murder is murder.

On a plantation, in any rustbelt city, in a riot or a convenience store. Scab picking can be done by all, but few are so foolish.

Anyway, the present deplorable condition of many blacks has far less to do with slavery than it has to do with the Great Society.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I think that we should all start up the meme that “Obama *is* reparations. Once he is gone, there will be no more reparations.”

This means that just because Obama hasn’t given every black family a million dollars, a Cadillac convertible, their own paid-for home, and eternal youth and beauty, this is not our problem.

But once he is gone, all black Americans return to being equal before the law, but otherwise on their own. And complaints that he didn’t give black Americans what he promised should be greeted with “Tough, now you are no longer special, you are like everyone else.”

[Repeat Offender]

My question was rhetorical.

But yes, I agree with the "great society" being the major cause.

[Psalm 144]

“My question was rhetorical.”

I was thinking of liability apportionment, lol.

“Take $200 from your left pocket and put it in your right pocket.

Now go across town and collect $1,500 from ‘da man’.

Now, return $2,200 to ‘da man’ for the flat screen TV your cousin Pooky stole from him last summer when Pooky burgled ‘da man’s” house.

Now, both you and da man go to the nearest reservation and tender $200,000 to the tribal council . . .”

And so on.

[maine-iac7]

All true - including evil world.

However, everyone in America should watch the movie (or read the history) of those, first in England, and then in America, who fought so long and sacrificed so much to end slavery - THEY were - gasp - WHITE.

Let's tell the WHOLE story, from beginning to end - and the end is that those who find themselves born in America because of slave ancestry - might want to, as did Alex Halley - a millionaire black AMERICAN author - check out where their ancestral cousins in Africa are now and what their lives are like. (Halley's were still living in the bush - in grass huts. Perhaps those here vilifying this country, might think: “Well, as evil as it was, I am in a much better place today than I could have been.”

But if we ARE going to do ‘reparations’ - then England owes me big time. My ancestors were forced to give up their homes and were chased from pillar to post, arrested, jailed, vilified - until they finally made their way to the shores of New England almost 400 years ago.

I mean if we can go back to generations beyond people living today - then there's no ‘statute of limitations.’ ;o)

(that was tongue in cheek, in case we have any lib lurkers who have no ability when it comes to humor.

For myself, I thank God and my ancestors that they had to leave the “Mother Country” - resulting in my being born in America and not England. (30 years ago, I used to think it wouldn’t have been bad at all to’ve been born in the UK - but today all I can think is “Boy, did I dodge a big bullet.”

[ballplayer]

What do you call the stimulus,health care if not reparations

[Mac from Cleveland]

I am—seriously-in favor of reparations. No joke.

However, it’s contingent on Africa who sold the slaves, setting aside land in Africa that the blacks will all return to and start their own nation, like Israel did, and the reverse diaspora can begin.

Of course, I’d first deduct 10% of the total amount of the black reparations-for the damage they’ve done to our cities, the many innocent crime victims, etc.

Also 10% to be taken and divided up between those of us whose ancestors were Union soldiers and freed them.

And, any black who is worth more than 5 million (Orca Winfrey, Cosby, Michael Jordan, etc) would forfeit 50% of anything over 5 million-Orca’d be waddling around with a basket on her head if not for the whites who invented TV, the cars she gives away, etc.

The main thing is just to send them back to the paradise they came from. It was wrong to take them, and if we’re going to redress the issue that’s key.

However, run that by even the most militant black, and a host of BS comes out-they don’t want to leave here-no way!

Two reasons:

1. They wouldn’t make a go of their own country on their own-it would be like Detroit in 3 years. Far better like this piss and moan get free money and have a perpetual excuse. Plus the US doing this lets whites off the hook once and for all, as it should. They don’t want that.

Reason #2 is, they know how much better the US will do without them. It would be, in the long run, the best thing we could ever do.

Them’s the facts, like it or not. My sugarcoating machine is in the shop.....

[mstar]

And I said, way back, if you want to do reparations, let's start from the source of the problem - Africa, who sold her own people. (Talk about an 'inconvenient truth'.)

Thank you for your insight and speaking out.

These critical journalists might consider seeking an interview the recent owners of Houma House Plantation located on the "Mississippi River Road", south of Baton Rouge, about midway to New Orleans.

They, including the African Americans employed there conducting factual historical tours, have been working toward breaking the slavery myths in the New Orleans/Baton Rouge areas.

When we toured the Plantation in 2008, they explained these ongoing studies had uncovered, prior to the Civil War, there were more area plantation owners of African American descent than "white", and were in fact, enslaving their own race.

Don't hear much about that from the popcorn media.

As for "American slavery is the greatest crime in world history" accusations, I would say, open a factual history book, along with the some sound slave narratives, and read it.

Nearly every race has been a slave or a slave owner at some point in their history, either suffering and inflecting great crimes against humanity. Some, on a wide scale, had experienced such prolong abuse it would make the majority of American slaves look like they were seated in royalty.

Might want to ask some of the those still starving in Africa who, in the long run, got the best deal.

[buschbaby]

Before anyone receives reparations they must prove that life in America is a hardship and they would have fared better had their ancestors stayed in Africa, thus never benefiting from welfare, affirmative action, etc.... If an actual slave were still alive, I would have no problems making things very right with them. People removed several generations are not suffering in this country.

[maine-iac7]

These critical journalists might consider seeking an interview the recent owners of Houma House Plantation located on the "Mississippi River Road", south of Baton Rouge, about midway to New Orleans.

I haven't heard of this. This sounds promising, maybe like a small leak starting in the dike?

Wish I weren't a retired ole great-granny - I might be tempted to go on down there, wearing my old investigative reporter hat.

(there used to be a breed of reporters that actually did their own investigative reporting. These days, 'reporters' get their news like car designers - instead of doing their own work, they steal from their competitors...and THEY are now slipping into just waiting for their talking points delivered from on high. (Amazing how fast the talking points get regurgitated from every MainSllimeMedia outlet)

[mstar]

It would be rather satisfying to trace the ancestry of some of the old silk-stocking New England families to see who was profiting from the sale of slaves.

Excellent insight.

Add to this, some northern victorious businessmen, along with the well known "carpetbaggers", enriched themselves from the rape, pillage, and general devouring of the fallen south, including the newly freed slaves.

Northern war crimes, during and postwar, against women and children, both black and white, are still justified today. After all, they reason, southern Simon Legrees deserved their lot for defending their "Uncle Tom's Cabins".

If fact, few southerns were slave owners, their reason to fight was based on the defense of their 10th amendment rights. I guess things just come back around, don't they.

If Americans treated the civilians from Iraq and "Nam" the same way, we would have been hauled before our own war crime trial.


Sorry I don't feel very politically correct this afternoon. Maybe I need my nap. :)

[mstar]

Wish I weren't a retired ole great-granny - I might be tempted to go on down there, wearing my old investigative reporter hat.

One tried ole granny to another. . . I hear you.

Unless the MSM does some real changing, I doubt if the results from these studies will see the light of day. Any education gained would be "grass roots" from those taking the tour and actually reading reliable sources.

[mojitojoe]

PING PING PING, here you go, here’s your chance to say Obongo is right, shame on all of us. We should pay every last dime we make for reparations, even though we did nothing. Great thread, maybe you could suggest only mean ole Southerners pay.