Does the United States Owe Reparations to African

[Alex]

Well, I'm not following, are you implying that
African Americans are oppressors, of whom?

Even if that is the case, did it come before the issue I bring up? Perhaps you are referring to the African Americans in Africa who sold their countrymen and countrywomen into slavery.

It's still a puzzle to me as to what exactly you mean.

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Alex

[La Luna Unita]

I think what 'Toushka is trying to get at is that there are the oppressors and the oppressed, and the oppressors can't do any oppressing without the oppressed.

Taking her example of Native Americans on reservations: she is saying that they seem to be allowing themselves to be pushed into a corner and kept there, when they COULD leave and join other communities in the US.

At least I think that's what she's getting at (please correct me if I'm wrong, 'Toushka).

In the case of the African Americans, the population ratio was definitely in favor of the African Americans, if memories of history class serve me. I have often wondered why the slaves didn't mount more revolts (I assume there were at least a few) since they outnumbered the slaveholders in many of the southern states. Therefore, the question can be posited: did they simply allow themselves to be opporessed? Does oppression work two ways?

In the case of Native American reservations, for two summers, I worked on an Apache reservation in Arizona for a week each time. I think the government supplies the housing and food, is that true? I'm curious if anyone has answers on that. But most of the people there seemed to have no interest in educating themselves beyond high school, and there were lots of run down houses, and lots of very young mothers, often with no dads. I'm not sure where the jobs were; I didn't get to see a whole lot of the surrounding area, other than desert, since that was what we were taken out to see when we had free time. So I don't really know, but it seemed as though many of the people were caught in a cycle that they couldn't or wouldn't break of having and raising children at young ages and just staying where they were because they felt as though they had no other choice.

[SHATOUSHKA]

i couldn't have said it better...
though one might argue 'less words'...
tee hee

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[La Luna Unita]

hmmm... maybe it's 'cause we're branching into a different question?

[Alex]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SHATOUSHKA:
i couldn't have said it better...
though one might argue 'less words'...
tee hee
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Now that confuses the heck out of me.

La Luna Unita's answer was a hybrid of pro-con of the original topic post.

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Alex

[Alex]

Wow, My own life experiences in the last 6 months have given me a fresh perspective on this issue.

Never give reparations to anyone who has no plan.

[discretion3]

Hmmm, reparations for African Americans...such a touchy subject. Well, I guess since Native Americans, Jews, and Asian Americans have either received or are in the process of recieving some sort of reparation...then why not blacks, too. I mean African Americans have done so much (and continue to) shape the growth and culture of this country...more so than any other racial group in America. What's the hold up??? Why is it that America seems to forget the 40 acre and a mule promise? Weren't these "reparations" suppossed to be taken care of YEARS ago?

Now, I strongly disagree with handing out checks to every black person in america...that is ridiculous. (Every black person gets $200 upon birth in America!! What a fiasco.) An apology is a nice gesture, but hardly sufficient...nice try Pres. Clinton. I do believe that the worst 'crime' this coutry has committed against African Americans is the denial of education (Outside of ripping them from their homelands, lenching, beating, slaying, and raping of course.) So, in my humble opinion I feel that if this country seriously wants to make reparations (which it obviously doesn't), then it should be reflected in some way in the eduction system. Therefore, it will give African Americans the same advantage as everyone else, and in turn benefit the country on a whole. Isn't it supposed to be equal anyway???

[Alex]

Wow, your first post at Hostboard on my forum. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

Yeah, I think education is where it begins. Could you imagine reparations including scholarships to Harvard, Yale, USC.

Pretty trippy stuff.

[Alex]

My opinion on this topic continues to form. I grow more and more against any reparation that is not education based.

I think Vietnam families that lost loved ones should be recompensated either simultaneously or before reparations are made to African Americans.

Why? First, African Americans would be represented in Viet Nam reparations, (perhaps in disporportionately larger numbers.) It appears that the root cause of Viet Nam may be endlessly debated, but that thing that is for certain is certain wealthy citizens of the U.S. profited by the Viet Nam War, and in the process shattered the family trees of hundreds of thousands of American Citizens.

[SHATOUSHKA]

its simple:

rid this gawd-awful nation of capitalism...


viola