Re: Reparations

From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Mon Jul 30 2001 - 09:33:53 MDT


>>Olga Bourlin wrote:
 
>> I also call racist the tendency of white people not to want to
>>take any responsibility for the egregious crimes against blacks
>>in the USA.

I have committed no crime egregious or otherwise against anyone,
including americans of recent African decent (All americans are of
African decent).

>I'm not trying to force you to take responsibility for something
>you have not done personally. If you live in the U.S.A., you are
>profiting from some the prosperity which is still tricking down to
>us from slave labor (by institutions built by slave labor, by
>companies which have direct and indirect ties to the prosperity of
>companies which operated on slave labor, including stocks).
>Because of your white skin (I am assuming this) you are
>"automatically" privileged in many ways. I'm not saying you
>should feel guilty, but I am suggesting that maybe you can feel
>some compassion for a situation that was created - not by you or
>me, granted - but that exists, nevertheless, and is sad beyond
>words (a sadness which has reverberated for hundreds of years, a
>sadness for many blacks which is still cruelly real today).

On the contrary it sound exactly like you are trying to induce some
sort of guilt.

Most of the institutions, and the government, i.e., confederacy,
that profited from slavery were destroyed in the war it took to
eliminate it.

>After all, the USA has given reparations for Jews, and to the
>Japanese. But slavery - which existed for so much longer and was
>unprecedented in its cruelty, dealing with selling human beings
>like chattel - no talk of reparations, no memorials, hardly any
>acknowledgment. Of course, all the people who dealt directly with
>slavery are gone, but we are still a prosperous nation, and we can
>afford to say "thank you," and "we're sorry for what was done to
>you," and acknowledge the contributions made by slaves.

I am unaware of the U.S paying reparations to Jews, please provide
a referrence, along with a referrence to slaves building the white
house.

The reparations paid to Japanese Americans for the terrible mistake
they suffered were overdue and very appropriate.

Like most reparation supporters you continue to ignore the fact
that slavery was a southern institution and the institutions that
supported it, and most if not all profits, were destroyed, at very
great expense I might add.

We have been paying "guilt" reparations for generations, in the
form of welfare, public housing, and minority set asides, not
counting the actual cost of the war itself.

Bottom line: I think all debts have been paid, and I personnaly owe
no debt for the actions of others.

Brian

Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
SBC/Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W



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