Oh god here come reparations for slavery

[Mr. Blunt]

i decided not to read any of the above post but i will say this

the majority of educated middle class to upper class blacks, don't want reparations, don't care about reparations, the main reason why is because we are tired of non-blacks saying that we are looking for handouts, which is far from the truth, we are looking for equality...i give a damn about a mule.

Equality would be great, if it was for everyone. The fact is that affirmitive action gives one person and advantage over another based on their race. You can not create equality by creating inequality. I agree with you about reperations though.

[squanto]

We apologized to the Japanese after WWII. We actually paid them reparations, because, well, they deserved it. In this day and age, blacks definitely don't (no racist, obviously).

[Thinman]

i could be wrong...but wasnt that also legal?

It probably was under wartime conditions. However, it was clearly the wrong thing to do to strip a citizen of their rights and property.

[Steak_n_Taters]

Any law, that does anything, whether perceived to be good or bad, that is based on or draws lines depending on race/color/nationality, is racist.

Therefore, reparations = racist. Affirmative action = racist.

In the area I live all the black people are educated and wealthy, and I would be willing to bet they do not want reparations or affirmative action.

If they were put into effect, every success a black person had would have an asterisk by it, because people would be able to say "yeah well he only got there because of affirmative action."

I don't think black people want that.

[Violator009]

lulz what they should be doing is apologising to the native americans...

[SuupaBuu]

Equality would be great, if it was for everyone. The fact is that affirmitive action gives one person and advantage over another based on their race. You can not create equality by creating inequality. I agree with you about reperations though.

Taking away affirmative action does not fix the problem. It's there for a reason.

The ones that respect slavery see why an apology is fine. Nothing wrong with that.

[TheSheepdog]

It probably was under wartime conditions. However, it was clearly the wrong thing to do to strip a citizen of their rights and property.

like...slavery.

[Steak_n_Taters]

Taking away affirmative action does not fix the problem. It's there for a reason.

The ones that respect slavery see why an apology is fine. Nothing wrong with that.

wat

[TheSheepdog]

Equality would be great, if it was for everyone. The fact is that affirmative action gives one person and advantage over another based on their race. You can not create equality by creating inequality. I agree with you about reparations though.

what do you think would happen if affirmative action ended, seriously?

Do you think that thousands of young white men that couldnt get into Princeton finally get in?

Or the jobs that require a diverse ratio, all of a sudden has the freedom to finally do what they want to do and hire only white men?

Affirmative action hasnt affected anyone but white women, Asians and Indians (India). Take a look at your universities on the Pacific coast or the major corporations. You'll still see in the boardroom 1 black face, a few white women and a **** load of white men....i dont care, take it away, i just get tired of hearing white men cry about it like it has really change their life or kept them out of college. I hear all of these bogus stories of how a black man took someone's place in the workforce or at a University that was more qualified (and for some reason its always a black man, not Asian, or Indian or Latino even though statistically Affirmative action has affected white women more then any other group). No one knows your qualifications unless they are in Admissions or Human Resources.

Someone mentions giving blacks reparations and then someone mentions AA, as if the two go together, but they dont. I for one wish that we could live in a world with no NAACP, AC "as wipes" LU, Gloria Allred, and all the other watchdog groups, but we do live in that world, just look at the people that post sht on this website, "the future of America", i really do feel that BB.com would make a great sociology project because it does have the demographic makeup of the country and the way people truly think.

[TheSheepdog]

Taking away affirmative action does not fix the problem. It's there for a reason.

The ones that respect slavery see why an apology is fine. Nothing wrong with that.

personally i think that we are past apologies, move on.

Which is not to say that slavery should be forgotten because it is the most important part of American History, but as far as apologies go, who's going to apologize and represent the slave owners that enslave my great grandparents, George Bush, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi?
....lol, we are past that, there's things in the world today that needs our attention.

[SuupaBuu]

personally i think that we are past apologies, move on.

Which is not to say that slavery should be forgotten because it is the most important part of American History, but as far as apologies go, who's going to apologize and represent the slave owners that enslave my great grandparents, George Bush, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi?
....lol, we are past that, there's things in the world today that needs our attention.

I don't know what you mean by "move on?"

Whoever it's from, it's not really hurting anybody unless people conclude that reparations will start coming. I have respect for slavery and they're showing respect. It's simply a nice gesture, instead of a requirement or necessity. No deeper than that.

[Garnett]

what do you think would happen if affirmative action ended, seriously?

Do you think that thousands of young white men that couldnt get into Princeton finally get in?

Or the jobs that require a diverse ratio, all of a sudden has the freedom to finally do what they want to do and hire only white men?

Affirmative action hasnt affected anyone but white women, Asians and Indians (India). Take a look at your universities on the Pacific coast or the major corporations. You'll still see in the boardroom 1 black face, a few white women and a **** load of white men....i dont care, take it away, i just get tired of hearing white men cry about it like it has really change their life or kept them out of college. I hear all of these bogus stories of how a black man took someone's place in the workforce or at a University that was more qualified (and for some reason its always a black man, not Asian, or Indian or Latino even though statistically Affirmative action has affected white women more then any other group). No one knows your qualifications unless they are in Admissions or Human Resources.

Someone mentions giving blacks reparations and then someone mentions AA, as if the two go together, but they dont. I for one wish that we could live in a world with no NAACP, AC "as wipes" LU, Gloria Allred, and all the other watchdog groups, but we do live in that world, just look at the people that post sht on this website, "the future of America", i really do feel that BB.com would make a great sociology project because it does have the demographic makeup of the country and the way people truly think.

X2

Very well said. The bb.com sociology project is something that would be really interesting.

[SledgeBoy]

Its just an apology. The Jim Crow laws are about 40 years old... not exactly ancient history.

[RIKTER]

Blacks need to be more concerned with a 70%+ out of wed-lock births. Until that changes, nothing will.

[Garnett]

Blacks need to be more concerned with a 70%+ out of wed-lock births. Until that changes, nothing will.

You don't think there's concern over this? Most issues the media highlights about certain "communities/people/political parties/etc" are not the issues the majority of said group worry the most about.

[RIKTER]

You don't think there's concern over this? Most issues the media highlights about certain "communities/people/political parties/etc" are not the issues the majority of said group worry the most about.

Where did I say that blacks werent concerned with it, I said they need to be "more" concerned...as in more concerned over 70%, then reparations, etc.

[Garnett]

Where did I say that blacks werent concerned with it, I said they need to be "more" concerned...as in more concerned over 70%, then reparations, etc.

From my experience, they are. In fact, I've never known anyone who's asked for reparations of any kind.

[4ero]

The resolution does not address the controversial issue of reparations. Some members of the African-American community have called on lawmakers to give cash payments or other financial benefits to descendents of slaves as compensation for the suffering caused by slavery.

If Africans were the first people to invent guns and colonized the world, don't you think that Africans would have enslaved other peoples based on the fact that those people are not Africans as well? If Africans colonized America and discovered tobacco, do you think they would have enslaved the Native Americans as well?

Based on the fact that Africans have enslaved other Africans and the course of human history of how every race and culture have enslaved and have been enslaved, proves that our capability for what we now consider as "evil" is equal.

Therefore, if Africans would have done the same to the Europeans and the rest of the world if given the chance, then how does that make Africans less to blame or any more "moral"? If not, nobody owes anybody anything.

[plcsp]

I am from Memphis. Steve Cohen is a puppet that does whatever he can to keep the black vote and stay in office.
The only reason this resolution passed today is because no Congressman is going to vote against it for fear of being labeled racist and pro-slavery. When I heard about this resolution I immediately knew it had to be him, and it was.

Memphis is a ****hole full of corrupt politicians. Yes I'm mad.

[Maestro]

who will pay?

X2

who will pay? and who will it go to? There has been so much race mixing in the past 100 years pretty much every one is black in one way or another.

you know we'd just buy hookers, booze and gamble it all away.

wait, wut?

[Maestro]

lulz what they should be doing is apologising to the native americans...

They've already done that.

casinos....

all sorts of benefits and exemplification laws. If you're indian you're making out like a bandit.

[Maestro]

who's going to apologize and represent the slave owners that enslave my great grandparents, George Bush, John McCain, Nancy Pelosi?

well, maybe John McCain. He's been alive proir to 1860 as we all know.

[TheSheepdog]

Blacks need to be more concerned with a 70%+ out of wed-lock births. Until that changes, nothing will.

not sure what that has do to with this thread, but unless your black its not up to you to say what blacks should be concerned about.

[US_Ranger]

I am from Memphis. Steve Cohen is a puppet that does whatever he can to keep the black vote and stay in office.
The only reason this resolution passed today is because no Congressman is going to vote against it for fear of being labeled racist and pro-slavery. When I heard about this resolution I immediately knew it had to be him, and it was.

Memphis is a ****hole full of corrupt politicians. Yes I'm mad.

This guy sounds like a real winner.

[TheSheepdog]

If Africans were the first people to invent guns and colonized the world, don't you think that Africans would have enslaved other peoples based on the fact that those people are not Africans as well? If Africans colonized America and discovered tobacco, do you think they would have enslaved the Native Americans as well?

Based on the fact that Africans have enslaved other Africans and the course of human history of how every race and culture have enslaved and have been enslaved, proves that our capability for what we now consider as "evil" is equal.

Therefore,[/b] if[b] Africans would have done the same to the Europeans and the rest of the world if given the chance, then how does that make Africans less to blame or any more "moral"? If not, nobody owes anybody anything.

Sounds like the typical "ignorant white man" answer to justify slavery not knowing that;
blacks treated their slaves with respect, believe it or not when blacks took over other tribes and enslaved their people they made them part of their tribe and society, treated them with respect,Women constituted the majority of early African slaves. In addition to agricultural work, female slaves carried out other economic functions, such as trading and cotton spinning and dyeing. They also performed domestic chores, such as preparing food, washing clothes, and cleaning. Powerful African men kept female slaves as wives or concubines, and in many societies these women stood as symbols of male wealth. Male slaves typically farmed and herded animals. Those who belonged to wealthy families and especially of ruling lineages of states also worked as porters and rowers, and learned crafts such as weaving, construction, and metalwork. New slaves were sometimes given menial tasks while experienced slaves did the more difficult and dangerous work, such as mining and quarrying.

Some male, and fewer female, slaves held positions of high status and trust within their societies. In precolonial states in the interior of West and Central Africa, slaves often served as soldiers and confidants of high officials. With their necessarily limited ambitions and dependence on their masters, slaves were considered the ideal persons to be close to men in power. In a few cases, female slaves assumed power and influence as well. For example, in the 19th century in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey (now southern Benin), women served in the royal palace and formed the kingdom's soldier elite.

And you want to compare this to the westernize and colonial slave trade, were women were raped, families were separated from each other, lil girls were made into sex objects, men and women were force to mate based on physical genetics, native languages were wiped out and kings and princes were given new "Western" names, 250 million were killed many on the trip to the states (library of congress), they were put in medieval devices and force to work like animals, and made to eat with pigs, they weren't allow to educate themselves and were introduced to new diseases all of this and numerous other sick acts ???

You keep using the word "IF", but long term history isn't about "IF", all we can do is go off of what we have, not some hypothetical farce history that was never possible based on the events at the time. So to put it in Layman terms, you don't know if Africans would have done that to the rest of the world .

This country was built and survived on the back of slaves. The year 1619 should be the most important date in American history because that was the first recorded slave date and changed America from a second rate laughable country into the power that it is today. (this is going to piss black people off) What that being said, slavery was a necessary evil to have America were it is today. Why do I want an apology for slavery, I want a apology given to my Grandfather. Give it to the elderly black individuals in this country that were treated like game in the south, couldn't have the same education as the white citizens, were given the "left overs" from white society, that as innocent children had to watch the horrors of their...anyway you know were im going with this. I give a damn about an apology for slavery, what is that going to change, who is going to feel better because of it? This whole thing is a political gimmick. There's a war going on, the dollar is worth cents, people are losing their homes and public education is being taught to kids by Lil Wayne, Britney Spears and Mtv.

[smariejohnson]

You are correct. I think continuing to personify people by their race and forcing them to focus on the past only prohibits people to grow. Slavery is something that has happened to millions of people and it is a bad thing but one thing we can't do is continue to focus on what was done but look to change. There will always be some form of racism whether is Caucasians hating African Americans or my workers from Nepal hating people who are from India. We just have to tolerate and accept that we ALL are different. Besides, who wants to be the same anyway????

House poised to apologize for slavery, Jim Crow

-----------------------------------------------

The House of Representatives was poised Tuesday to pass a resolution apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the era of Jim Crow. The nonbinding resolution, which is expected to pass, was introduced by Rep. Steve Cohen, a white lawmaker who represents a majority black district in Memphis, Tennessee.

While many states have apologized for slavery, it will be first time a branch of the federal government will apologize for slavery if the resolution passes, an aide to Cohen said.

By passing the resolution, the House would also acknowledge the "injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow."

"Jim Crow," or Jim Crow laws, were state and local laws enacted mostly in the Southern and border states of the United States between the 1870s and 1965, when African-Americans were denied the right to vote and other civil liberties and were legally segregated from whites.

The name "Jim Crow" came from a character played by T.D. "Daddy" Rice who portrayed a slave while in blackface during the mid-1800s.

The resolution states that "the vestiges of Jim Crow continue to this day."

"African-Americans continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow -- long after both systems were formally abolished -- through enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity and liberty, the frustration of careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity," the resolution states.

The House would also commit itself to stopping "the occurrence of human rights violations in the future," if it passes the resolution.

The resolution does not address the controversial issue of reparations. Some members of the African-American community have called on lawmakers to give cash payments or other financial benefits to descendents of slaves as compensation for the suffering caused by slavery.

The resolution will not be the first time lawmakers have apologized to an ethnic group for past injustices.

In April, the Senate passed a resolution sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, that apologized to Native Americans for "the many instances of violence, maltreatment and neglect."

In 1993, the Senate also passed a resolution apologizing for the "illegal overthrow" of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893.

In 1988, Congress passed and President Reagan signed a law apologizing to the 120,000 Japanese-Americans who were held in detention camps during World War II. The 60,000 detainees who were alive at the time each received $20,000 from the government
--------------

taken from CNN.com


how cheesy can this **** get? how long ago did this happen? how many programs do we have in place to make it "fair" between races? doesn't **** like this just make racism worse?

[KRANE]

I think continuing to personify people by their race and forcing them to focus on the past only prohibits people to grow.

On the road to redemption, the first thing an alcoholic has to admit, he IS an alcoholic. We can't move forward until we ADMIT the sins of the past.

[johnny87]

Affirmitive action really doesnt have any place in a thread about african americans. People always think it helps underqualified minorities get jobs. When its white women getting reaping the benefits. Which makes no sense to me, as there are more white women college grads than white men.

Its supposed to promote equal oppurtunity. So why is the group graduating the MOST college students each year recieveing the most benefits for affirmitive action.

As for reparations, i would have no problems with them if they went to inner city schools. But i really dont see thier purpose other wise. What would they change? How does taking tax payer money(most of the citizens in the USA probably didnt even have ancestors who owned slaves) and giving it to blacks change anything? I would only think it would cause racial friction not ease it.

[6-SPEED]

Sounds like the typical "ignorant white man" answer to justify slavery not knowing that;
blacks treated their slaves with respect, believe it or not when blacks took over other tribes and enslaved their people they made them part of their tribe and society, treated them with respect,Women constituted the majority of early African slaves. In addition to agricultural work, female slaves carried out other economic functions, such as trading and cotton spinning and dyeing. They also performed domestic chores, such as preparing food, washing clothes, and cleaning. Powerful African men kept female slaves as wives or concubines, and in many societies these women stood as symbols of male wealth. Male slaves typically farmed and herded animals. Those who belonged to wealthy families and especially of ruling lineages of states also worked as porters and rowers, and learned crafts such as weaving, construction, and metalwork. New slaves were sometimes given menial tasks while experienced slaves did the more difficult and dangerous work, such as mining and quarrying.

Some male, and fewer female, slaves held positions of high status and trust within their societies. In precolonial states in the interior of West and Central Africa, slaves often served as soldiers and confidants of high officials. With their necessarily limited ambitions and dependence on their masters, slaves were considered the ideal persons to be close to men in power. In a few cases, female slaves assumed power and influence as well. For example, in the 19th century in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey (now southern Benin), women served in the royal palace and formed the kingdom's soldier elite.

And you want to compare this to the westernize and colonial slave trade, were women were raped, families were separated from each other, lil girls were made into sex objects, men and women were force to mate based on physical genetics, native languages were wiped out and kings and princes were given new "Western" names, 250 million were killed many on the trip to the states (library of congress), they were put in medieval devices and force to work like animals, and made to eat with pigs, they weren't allow to educate themselves and were introduced to new diseases all of this and numerous other sick acts ???

You keep using the word "IF", but long term history isn't about "IF", all we can do is go off of what we have, not some hypothetical farce history that was never possible based on the events at the time. So to put it in Layman terms, you don't know if Africans would have done that to the rest of the world .

This country was built and survived on the back of slaves. The year 1619 should be the most important date in American history because that was the first recorded slave date and changed America from a second rate laughable country into the power that it is today. (this is going to piss black people off) What that being said, slavery was a necessary evil to have America were it is today. Why do I want an apology for slavery, I want a apology given to my Grandfather. Give it to the elderly black individuals in this country that were treated like game in the south, couldn't have the same education as the white citizens, were given the "left overs" from white society, that as innocent children had to watch the horrors of their...anyway you know were im going with this. I give a damn about an apology for slavery, what is that going to change, who is going to feel better because of it? This whole thing is a political gimmick. There's a war going on, the dollar is worth cents, people are losing their homes and public education is being taught to kids by Lil Wayne, Britney Spears and Mtv.

I disagree, where America is today is not all that great to say that it was worth slavery. If it takes 250 million+ people to be raped, tortured, dehumanized, & killed for a country to prosper--maybe that country isn't meant to prosper. But what's done is done and personally I don't want/need any handouts from the Government or White people. But I do believe what goes around comes around...I'll just leave it at that.

[KRANE]

I disagree, where America is today is not all that great to say that it was worth slavery. 250 million+ dead blacks to get to where we are today was worth it?

Two hundred years to world super power? Compare that to nations that are thousand of years old.

...and personally I don't want/need any handouts from the Government or White people.

Don't worry you're not going to get anything.