Slavery Reparations

[Micaiah]

Slavery Reparations

Quite a touchy subject. If you're not familiar with the issue, it is as follows:

African Americans in the United States, as you know, were held in slavery until it was abolished in 1862. (Although those in the Confederate States of America were retained until after the Civil War.) They were segregated against for even longer than that - legally. Now, segregation is illegal and any discrimination or racism (on either side) is made by individual groups or persons and not by the government. (Those of you desiring to reference the issue of Affirmitive Action at the University of Michigan please refrain from doing so.)

At present, many African Americans want to recieve reparations from the United States Government for the suffering and enslavement of their forefathers. This money would come from the tax dollars paid by American citzens.

Now, if I were the leader of an American despotism in this day, and I was vested with absolute power - there would be no reparations.

Why? While I don't believe removing the African people from their homeland was right, and while I think the treatment they endured was wrong - it was the ancestors of todays African Americans and not those presently alive that were enslaved.

It was the Americans who brought them here against their will, but not a soul is keeping them from their homeland at present.

I am of the impression that this a scheme to receive money which is undeserved by the Black citizens of this great nation. As harsh as that sounds, it is because I have yet to hear a well founded argument as to why there should be reparations made, but I have heard well founded arguments as to why there should not be.

To conclude, I propose two options from the goverment of my fictional American Despotism:

Option One
No reparations are made. Everyone accepts that a mistake was made on the behalf of Americans by enslaving Africans and that the past is without an "Undo Option." We move on with our lives and look toward the future.

Option Two
Reparations are made with one condtion:
Those given reparations will agree to remove themselves from within the boundaries of America within twelve (12) months, never to return. Those who do not leave the country will be deported.

[SleepyTemplar]

Surprisingly, I agree with you on most of your position, Micaiah. I only disagree that if reparations are given, that they should leave. Although the acceptance of hypothetical reparations does imply that action, it doesn't mean it necessary.

The problem with the reparations is that NO ONE who suffered such indignity is alive to collect. The ancestors of today haven't experienced such, and therefore are entitled to nothing. This is what differentiates reparations to African Americans and reparations to Japanese Americans in WWII- the latter who DID suffer discrimination and relocation to camps received reparations. To say the ancestors of African Americans who suffered nothing at the hands of the government are entitled to reparations is to say we should give the ancestors of Native Americans the lands we took from them because of the immoral nature of the U.S. in its dealings with the Native Americans.

[Micaiah]

You and I have been agreeing way to much lately ST.

Someone get me a pagan forum, QUICK!

;D

To quote someone:
"Just Kidding."

By the way, nice point on the Native Americans.

[SleepyTemplar]

Hey, just provide me that basis for free will, and we'll be disagreeing with each other in no time. ;D

[Micaiah]

Ah, thanks for the reminder. I've got at least one verse as well as some I just saw looking at another website.
Should I make a new thread when I have it ready to give to you?

[SleepyTemplar]

Probably would be best. If you want, we can have a determinism vs. free will debate.

[Micaiah]

It may be tomorrow until I can get around to making it though. Want to read into it some more and plus I got a bit of homework to do in the morning.

One request: Can you define determinism for me?

[SleepyTemplar]

Determinism is the theory that everything in the universe is governed by causal laws (Philosophy, Pursuit of Wisdom 2nd Edition by Louis Pojman). Basically, anything that happens (including behavior) is the effect of an antecedent cause. Were we omniscient, we would be able to predict future events indefinitely without fail.

Free will is the theory that given the same antecedent conditions at T1 (a given point in time), an agent S could do either act A1 or A2. Note that this is not limited purely to moral choices, but to our actions in general.

Those are the basic philosophical definitions to the terms. There's also a third position, called compatibilism, that attempts to reconcile determinism and free will.