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I’m not convinced. What about all of my ancestors that got paid less than inflation adjusted minimum wage? Who were killed in wars fighting to keep the countr

by DougN7 4y ago

I’m not convinced. What about all of my ancestors that got paid less than inflation adjusted minimum wage? Who were killed in wars fighting to keep the country free? Lots of people benefit from their work, so do I get a slice of the pie? What about the natives who were earlier displaced by other natives (wars between American Indians). Do we owe their descendants as well? And why does the distinction of before or after the US existed as a nation matter? Lots of people (black, white, whatever) have been treated unfairly in the past. It’s not possible or reasonable to go down that road. Reparations are too myopic in my view. Let’s fix educational inequality. We can do that. Fixing multi-generational cultural problems? Not sure, but giving people money is not the answer.

ashwagary 4y ago
>whatabout Make a compelling and valid claim that the US damaged you or stole from you and you may be entitled to collect payment for damages. US slave owners, Jewish holocaust survivors, and Japanese WWII internment camp victims were all paid reparations. The story of the labor and opportunity stolen from the US black enslaved is clear and the reparations claim easy to validate, YMMV for the separate harder to prove whatabout claims you say exist.
- DougN7 4y ago
  So I have to prove what was stolen from ME, but others have to prove what was stolen from people 2-8 generations back? Notice how your examples of reparations are to those who were directly harmed, which seems fair. Saying I owe someone for what our great-great-great-great-grandfathers did to their great-great-great-great-grandfathers?
  - ashwagary 4y ago
    >So I have to prove what was stolen from ME The nitpick falls flat since brevity was the objective of my statement. "You and/or your ancestors" works. As long as the state that damaged your family still exists, a claim can be made. Yours is also a weak counter because the precedent is already set in similar cases. Many Jewish reparations recipients were never in concentration camps but their relatives and/or descendants could prove the damages.
    - dcow 4y ago
      You still haven't answered the question…

by DougN7 4y ago

ashwagary 4y ago

>whatabout Make a compelling and valid claim that the US damaged you or stole from you and you may be entitled to collect payment for damages. US slave owners, Jewish holocaust survivors, and Japanese WWII internment camp victims were all paid reparations. The story of the labor and opportunity stolen from the US black enslaved is clear and the reparations claim easy to validate, YMMV for the separate harder to prove whatabout claims you say exist.

DougN7 4y ago
So I have to prove what was stolen from ME, but others have to prove what was stolen from people 2-8 generations back? Notice how your examples of reparations are to those who were directly harmed, which seems fair. Saying I owe someone for what our great-great-great-great-grandfathers did to their great-great-great-great-grandfathers?
- ashwagary 4y ago
  >So I have to prove what was stolen from ME The nitpick falls flat since brevity was the objective of my statement. "You and/or your ancestors" works. As long as the state that damaged your family still exists, a claim can be made. Yours is also a weak counter because the precedent is already set in similar cases. Many Jewish reparations recipients were never in concentration camps but their relatives and/or descendants could prove the damages.
  - dcow 4y ago
    You still haven't answered the question…