Comments on: Slavery apologies and the reparations question

By: Italian American

Italian American — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:44:53 +0000

And let me speak for the 6 percent of the American Population that is of Italian descent that was not only not here before the American civil war but was mostly enslaved as part of the brutal “Padrone system” in Southern Italy. We had our own civil war in 1860 in Italy. Most of our ancestors arrived in the US after 1890.

By: pete

pete — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:41:17 +0000

that line is so tired. get over it. my ancestors weren’t even here during the slavery mess, we were called green mouths because the British stole all the Irish food and sent it out of the country, a lot of it in the form of whiskey. Do I ask England for reparations for the hundreds of years of oppression and genocide of the Irish people? No you freaking idiot, I make a life with what I have and thank God I don’t have to suffer as my people did. quit your blubbering and MAKE a life, don’t try to steal one.

By: bj worlds

bj worlds — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:37:07 +0000

My wish is that one white man could be a black man for one day.

By: tyree

tyree — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:31:02 +0000

“Memo to Senator Harkin: We had a collective response. It was called the Army of the Potomac.”
And a fine collective response is was.
It’s too bad that teaching history is pretty much ignored in public school today. Some textbooks have to take pictures of Presidents out of them because regulations say that they need to have the same number of female pictures as male pictures.

By: jb

jb — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:54:54 +0000

While the ancestors of American Blacks were enslaved, my ancestors were getting beaten up in pogroms in Russia. Therefore, I had no responsibility for their suffering and should be exempt from paying reparations. If I must pay, then I’m sure you can find descendants of the Tsar’s troops to pay my share for me.

By: MF

MF — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:41:04 +0000

Of course the Black Caucus should also take collective responsibility and issue an apology for the enslavement of thousands of Europeans by the Moors.

Don’t you mean the Moops? 😉

By: A.W.

A.W. — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:26:14 +0000

I will say that around 1866 or so, reparations would have been a great idea. you could identify with particularity who was victimized and who was the perpetrators, and as a way of making sure the newly freed slaves were independant landowners and less susceptible to economic control, i think it might have worked out brilliantly.

But to give reparations now would require us to engage in either collective guilt or creepy racial classification and probably some of both. For instance, take Obama. Does his white half give reparations to his black half? Or should he get anything given that his black side is descended from a voluntary african immigrant and presumably not from any American slave. Does that mean that Michelle should recieve a full payment, but he gets none? Does that mean his children should only get a half payment? or will we simplify it and give out money according to the color of one’s skin.

Of course you could say that all black people get an equal share, but it begs the question: who counts as black? there are people walking around who look lilly white but actually have a hidden black ancestor. So then they get reparations, too? maybe we go with a one-drop rule. i believe there were some laws in places like Louisiana, long ruled unconstitutional that had a thing or two to say on that.

And if all of that seems pretty creepy, well, that is my point.

Anyway, a court of law can’t do it but for special legislation and fat chance that will happen. why? um, the statute of limitations, that is why.

By: Roy B

Roy B — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:38:37 +0000

Two questions, first, as my family lost 3 members in the Civil War and a 4th lost a leg, will I be receiving compensation from decendants of the rebel army?

Second, why are our polititians wasting time on this aspect of slavery, heinous as it was, when they could maybe do something about slavery in the world today? Or would that show that they have an interest in something other than posturing? (Oops, that was a 3rd question)

By: bradley13

bradley13 — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:26:26 +0000

Reparations for what, exactly?

The slaves are long dead, as are those who enslaved them. Their descendents have the great good fortune to be living in the USA, which sports a substantially higher standard of living than Africa.

If they don’t like it here, they could always emigrate to Africa.

By: ps

ps — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:54:03 +0000

Of course the Black Caucus should also take collective responsibility and issue an apology for the enslavement of thousands of Europeans by the Moors. Financial compensation can then be discussed in parallel with any discussions regarding black slavery.