Originally Posted by
LDJ
frink85 wrote:
how about the US Govt gives "reparations"/puts money into creating/funding social and economic welfare programs for all impoverished/lower class/disadvantaged communities?
basically, why make this a racial issue when there are tons of Americans of all races who need the help (yes, including Blacks)?
That is good in theory. But heres the problem with that, and not to put words in ppl mouth. But alot of ppl feel like why include whites. Because at some point time even poor whites whether current generation or prior generations had a substantial advantage over the two other races in america. You cant really compare a poor white in current state to a minority poor in their current state. Difference is that at some point the whites had the upper hand/advantage. It was the doing of their ancestors that put there future generations in the current state they are in. Minorities are different. They never had the upperhand and advantage in no timeframe in america. Poor whites saying the should have reparations would be like my great grand kids being inpoverished, not because of society and never having an advantage, but because my daughters or grand kids made ill advise and bad decisions and ruined the family business. See the two are different one scenario has one set of ppl who had an advantage and blew it, wasnt advantageous, And the other situation is a set of ppl who never had the opportunity, and was behind the 8-ball the entire time.
The native american is an interest enigma. I feel they are opressed, and not all of them recieve some type of reparation. But the fact remains some of them do in comparison of not a single black has ever. Also some of the sufferage they endured was because of their own doings.
The same way ppl say whites didnt force blacks to do drugs/crack etc... (even though i dispelled that misnomer) The rampant alcohol and drug usage of the native americans wasnt forced upon them. They basically made bad business decisions/investments. Whites didnt exactly force them to sell/barter estates and land for booze and opium.
In essense it be like saying the guy who gets ripped off for buying the fake louis vuitton bag is in the same shoes as the person who was mugged at gun point. One situation was indirectly caused by the actions of the first party, the other was forced upon them.
I understand this isnt the case for all native americans but vast majority, it applies. Being taken advantage of, and being oppressed, while both bad arent really the same thing.
It be like how mc hammer, latrell sprewell etc... People who were at the top, and because of poor decisions, mistakes and mishaps of their on doing lost it all and spiralled to the bottom. Which in essense isnt quite the same as never having anything at all and always been at the bottom.
I guess it would be like running a 4 man relay, and letting one team start the race first, then the other teams cant start until the first team reach the halfway mark. Then the lead team takes it for granted or gambles or becomes pompus, and the other team catches up with them. Then they lose and say it should all be a tie.
Its funny and ironic that ppl say blacks should forget, move on from slavery it was a long time ago. And shouldnt hold on to the past, But yet the same whites who say this dont want to move on from slavery as far as the things they benefit from said results from slavery.
Reparations could never work, neither could equality. It is not wired in our dna. It will never change. Your always going to have sets of people and groups who will feel superior then others, and live to make others inferior. Even if we were all the same skin color. It be your fat your skinny etc. Even if all had the same amount of money. It would be on looks, or advantages/better then in aspects of life. Like im a faster runner then you. I do this and that better then you. In every aspect of life there is a some sort of bottom/top of the totem pole mentality. A ranking system if you will. A formal/informal hierarchy. It has been this way since probably the beginning of time. And it will never change.
I can understand your point, and while I agree to an extent as an American and a human being it just seems counterproductive to play the "oppression olympics" game. While yes, Whites do have an inherent advantage in society, many are stuck in the same circumstances as minorities...who's to say they don't deserve the same help that any other person would get? Because theoretically they are better equipped to succeed? Maybe to better direct funding, you target inner cities or areas with impoverished minority demographics.
However, reading your last point, and I have to
in agreement. Not everyone can be a doctor or a lawyer, and garbage men and janitors are important workers in society. Someone awhile back in this thread mentioned giving more people a better living wage to even up a bit, I'd agree with that. Then again, I'm a borderline socialist
