[Jacqui]

Jon: I can understand the theory behind it, but it's not logical to me. I just want equal protection and equal treatment, fairness, under the law. Many black were not enslaved, but still severly discriminated against and treated, even though free. Many were and are of mixed bloodlines, as am I. There were enclaves of black middle, working, and elite classes , during slavery and reconstruction, who may or may not have been slaves themselves. I have yet to hear anyone who talks about reparations detail some sort of plan for figuring this all out.

User Detail :  

Name : Jacqui, City : Phila, State : PA Country : United States, 

[Andrew]

Personally I think it's because they, like everyone, want the world handed to them on a silver platter. I don't expect reparations from Germany for the holocaust or from Egypt for the pyramids. Besides, the idea itself is laffable since it would be an unconsitutional ex-post-facto law.

User Detail :  

Name : Andrew, City : Parker, State : CO Country : United States, 

[Danny27256]

Reparations is a ridiculous idea simply because people would not appreciate them. However, Native Americans and Japanese Americans have been receiving reparations for years and no one has complained about that. Why? Because black americans have been the focal point of hate and discrimination for years and that takes the spotlight off of these smaller minority groups.

User Detail :  

Name : Danny27256, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, 

[J. Qwest]

How do you figure that Black youth face no discrimination. The simple fact of the matter is not whether one has faced discrimination or not. The fact that this country was built on the backs of Africans for over 280 years without cost of labor is enough to warrant reparation. Africans in america are the only group to have suffered at the hands of white Americans and not be financially compensated. The Indians, Japanese, Jewish, ect.... Have all been acknowledged and paid. Where's ours? But I feel that we will never get reparations, because white americans have a hard time admitting wrong doing when it comes to slavery. As long as they have a 'Get over it' mentality, then we'll continue to get the short end.

User Detail :  

Name : J. Qwest, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 24, City : Philly, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : Customer Service, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Rick29781]

I think if you ask the right, young African American people, you'll find that most of us do not agree with reparations either.

User Detail :  

Name : Rick29781, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 32, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Asinia Lukata Chikuyu]

Reparations is the inheritance owed to blacks young and old. and america needs to realizes that Afrikans in america deserve and are demanding the same respect as any other people in this country; that the crimes perpetrated against our humanity must stop and be atoned for; and that we won't stop agitating until we win our human rights and the restitution rightfully due us for the Trans-Atlanta Slave Trade, JimCrow/US Apartheid/Segregation, the Black Codes, the Tuskegee Experiment, the Lynching of Innocent Afrikans, the Maraud of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, the Mis-education of Afrikans for generations, Racial Profiling, Racial Job, Housing and Criminal Justice Discrimination for generations, and all the other crimes and vestiges of the Trans-Atlanta Slave Trade that still haunts us and affects our ability to function effectively in this society.

User Detail :  

Name : Asinia Lukata Chikuyu, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Muslim, Age : 51, City : Jackson, State : MS Country : United States, Occupation : unemployed, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Richard]

My father, Eugeniusz, his brothers, Zygmunt, Tadeusz and Jozef, and my grandmother, Marianna, were all slave laborers abducted from their home village, Gasiorow Maly, in Poland, on May 5, 1942, and forcibly deported by the Germans to Wiesmoor bei Wittmund (between Emden and Wilhelmshaven in Northwest Germany), where they were held against their will and forced to work as peat diggers and haulers until their liberation on May 5, 1945. Their daily ration was 'not enough to live on and just enough to keep them from death.' My paternal grandfather, Jozef, was a POW since the Germans' September 1939 campaign against Poland, and he was then forced into slave labor on a farm near Leipzig. My mother's family, on the other hand, Jan, Bronislawa, Franciszek, Zofia and Stefania (my mother), were forced to quarter German troops in their home while they staged their attack against the Soviet Union in 1941. During the German occupation, and especially during the period preceding Operation Barbarossa, rural Polish households were heavily taxed in kind, i.e. milk (even if a family had only one cow) had to be surrendered to the Germans for separation into cream, butter and whole milk. Millstones were confiscated so that grain could not be independently ground into flour. Grain was confiscated for grinding by the Germans and what came back was half sawdust. Because of the effects of 'Hitler's Spa' at Wiesmoor, my father's family died out before reaching ages 57. My mother has been ill with various conditions since she was age 35 and has been disabled since age 45.

Thank you, Germany, for sickening and prematurely decimating my family and stealing them from me in my youth. Your country is now the richest in Europe due to help from the United States after the war. The Jews and Israel received their measly reparations for your crimes. Where are my sister's, my cousins', and mine?

User Detail :  

Name : Richard, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 44, City : Philadelphia, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : Social Worker, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Asinia Lukata Chikuyu]

Reparations is the inheritance owed to blacks young and old. And america needs to realize that Afrikans in america deserve and are demanding the same respect as any other people in this country. She needs to realize that the crimes perpetrated against our humanity MUST STOP and old crimes be atoned for; and that we won't stop agitating the foul smell of racial hatred out of america until she realizes that we intend to win our human rights and the restitution rightfully due us for the Atlantic Slave Trade, JimCrow/US Apartheid/Racial Segregation, The Black Codes, the Tuskegee Experiment, the Lynching of Innocent Afrikans, government sanctioned domestic terrorism, {which included, but was not limited to the bombings & burnings of black churches} and domestic counter-intelligence {which included Cointel-Pro & The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission}, The Mis-Education of Afrikans, Racial Profiling, Racial Job, Housing and Criminal Justice Discrimination, and all the other crimes and vestiges of the Atlantic Slave Trade that still haunt us and affects our ability to function effectively in this society. It is time for america to do the right thing by blacks and allow us the resources we need to repair the damage done to us.

User Detail :  

Name : Asinia Lukata Chikuyu, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Muslim, Age : 51, City : Jackson, State : MS Country : United States, Occupation : unemployed, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Michael W.]

The simple answer is that what happened in teh past is what's created the problems many African Americans face today. If you don't think that poverty amongst the African American community is related to slavery, then you're not really thinking about how quality of education adn generations of family wealth affect where you are today. Of course not all African Americans are in a worse place than white Americans by any means. But, their ancestors working for free, not being allowed to own land for a long time and receiving a lower standard of education undoubtedly affects the current generation. Today, having schools funded by property taxes from teh neighborhood (creating good public schools in rich neighborhoods adn poor schools in bad ones) is only continuing to make the problem worse. People who commit crimes are people who are in desperate situations, adn people are often in desperate situations as a matter of circumstance more so than that of choice. Im' not saying that I agree that giving people a one time payment of money is a good solution to the problem. But, there are undoubtedly residual effects from slavery and severe prejudice. And, the problem is geting worse now as opposed to better as statistically the poor community continues to get poorer and the rich get richer. Let me end by asking a question. If it's a proven fact that low income families have more children than higher income families, what's the country going to be like when a larger adn larger percentage of the population is at the poverty level? Will it take riots to decide that everyone needs healthcare adn good schools? P.S. Another basis for teh reparations argument is that when the slaves were freed, they were told by the federal government that they would receive 40 acres and a mule. It is my understanding that few people ever received this promise of help in starting a life.

User Detail :  

Name : Michael W., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 27, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Sales, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Leslie Doolittle]

racism is very alive, albeit in more discreet fashions than the 1800's, and individuals would like to deter racism as much as possible. When we break a law we may be fined and that fine is supposed to deter us from ever committing that crime again. By receiving reparations individuals from different minorities have a stronger influence as to whether or not such atrocities should happen again. If you had to pay monetary damages to an individual wouldn't it deter you from taking advantage of that individual? It's a guarantee, so-to-speak. Or at least it is to many individuals, and so far it's all we've got to level the playing field. Also, if your ancestors would have heeded the words that were spoken to them 'everything you do may not affect you, but will have an everlasting affect on your child' it's possible that reparations would not be necessary.

User Detail :  

Name : Leslie Doolittle, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Religion : Native American, Age : 32, City : Durant, State : OK Country : United States, Occupation : political scientist, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[slawdogs]

In my opinion, most young blacks who feel that they are entittled to reparations are only looking for a hand-out based on the hardships of their ancestors. The fact that any African-American in today's society would expect anything because of what someone in their family five or six generations ago may or may not have endured is despicable. If their ancestors weren't brought over here a couple of hundred years ago, they would still be back in the fatherland wearing Nike and Old Navy t-shirts while wiping each other out over tribal disputes. Instead, some of them get to earn enough money a year to support a whole tribe for a geneation or two. Some get the chance to adopt our lifestyle and become productive members of our society, while the rest get to continue their tribal traditions and slaughter each other.

User Detail :  

Name : slawdogs, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 44, City : washington, State : NJ Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[C-Reed19316]

I think it is a misconception that black people no longer face discrimination. First of all, as a 23 year old, my parents, not only my grandparents, lived in a legally segregated society. We like to think of Jim Crow Laws and segregated schools as far in the past, but in reality, we are only one generation removed. It is clearly going to take more than a single generation to erase the disparities in the advantages offered to blacks and whites. If you would like an example of clear discrimination, look at the educational system in America. Inner city and rural schools, which have disproportionally high enrollments of students of color, cannot offer near the same advantages as suburban and private schools, which are disproportionately white.

User Detail :  

Name : C-Reed19316, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 23, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : graduate student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Steve27862]

First of all everyone experiences descrimination every day. People treat you differently because of your skin color, sex, religion, class, etc. Reperations are desired for a several reasons: 1) The wrongs done to your grand parents and parents, does impact the wealth your family owns and the opportunities you have available to you while growning up, reperations would help correct that. 2) Some people believe it will finally put an end to the anger or feelings of victimization by blacks by having people correct a wrong that was once commited against them. 3) Some people really want a break and see reperations as a way to get it. I disagree with reperations because I believe it will not solve number 2 and will actually make white people feel like victims and increase the severity of racism in America.

User Detail :  

Name : Steve27862, City : Seattle, State : WA Country : United States, 

[Andrea]

I don't believe that anyone should receive reparations. Yes, my family did own slaves but at one point in history they were slaves themselves. Yet you will never here us scream for reparations. I think it is ridiculous that black people lead better lives in the states than most of them would have lead in Africa yet they complain about being stolen from there. Living down south we do a lot of offshore work. A black friend of mine recently was sent to Africa to work. When he came back he told me that slavery was the best thing that ever happened because the conditions in Africa are so bad. I would also like to say that since I am in the heart of 'slavery land' I have known many blacks to say that they were 'stolen' from their homes. Yet, when I offer them a plane ticket to go back 'home' not one of them accepts. Of course, the condition would be that the ticket would be one way and they couldn't move back here. So I guess my question is, how come not one black person that I have offered this to accepted my offer? Wouldn't you want to go home? I would have no problem moving to europe permanently.

User Detail :  

Name : Andrea, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 24, City : Houma, State : LA Country : United States, Occupation : Accounting, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Leah R]

I am 20 years old and attend a small private school right outside of Charlotte, NC. The topic of reparations was discussed recently at dinner, and among my friends (most of us are minorities), we concluded that although in theory reparations are a good idea, in reality they are implausible and an uneffective means to repair the damage caused by our forefathers. Don't get me wrong: I believe that slavery was bad and millions of black people suffered at the hands of racist whites. However, I do not believe that doling out obscene amounts of money to descendents of slaves will repair the damage. Jon asks what discriminations young black people today have faced. The answer is many. We are still feeling the effects of slavery and racism, and this will continue to be apart of our daily lives. But I don't believe money will solve the problem. That's just an easy way out, and frankly, most young people (both Black and White) are unaware of the true extent of atrocities and injustices committed against Blacks and other minorities. So, what should be done? This is a difficult question, because simply saying 'Sorry' is definitely NOT enough. My friends and I discussed alternatives at length but failed to come to an agreement. What do you think should be done?

User Detail :  

Name : Leah R, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 20, City : Charlotte, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Author]

Posts