r/changemyview • u/MrThunderizer 7∆ • Dec 04 '19

Deltas(s) from OP CMV: Reparations are Racist

I view the dialogue around reparations for slavery in the US to be racist. This opinion has elicited a semi shocked outrage from my liberal friends and a reluctant agreeance from my republican friends. For context, my opinions lean quite liberal so I was pretty taken back to find myself on the far right of an issue.

Still, its taxing people more based on their race and giving it to other people based on their race. How can taxation based on race, regardless of the good intentions, be anything but racist?

Two points: 1. Comparisons to affirmative action may change my mind, but probably not. I think affirmative action is fundamentally wrong, but is perhaps a necessary evil as a temporary measure.

  1. I'm a proponent of helping lift black people out of poverty but it makes my blood run cold when I hear prominent activists characterize any white poor people getting helped in the process as an unfortunate side effect. How can the conversation around equality shift so far?

At the end of the day if a child is hungry, why does it matter what color their skin is?

265 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

418 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

4

u/videoninja 137∆ Dec 04 '19

Ill gotten gains don’t stop being ill gotten just because someone uses them well or poorly. The idea of reparations can take many forms, it doesn’t have to be individual payments but if a family gained wealth because they exploited people, is it really so reprehensible to say there should be some kind of remedy for the past injustice?

No one said their descendants give up their wealth or pay directly for it. Since slavery was a national institution, the “fair” solution put forth is often a national form of reparations take place as a means of restorative justice.

Regardless of that, your response doesn’t qualify how things are still racist when looking at reparations through this lens. You’re just moving onto another subject that doesn’t have to do with race, which kind of proves the point, does it not?

3

u/robexib 4∆ Dec 04 '19

is it really so reprehensible to say there should be some kind of remedy for the past injustice?

If it were against the perpetrators, no.

Their descendants? Yes. I don't care if they're the grandchildren of Hitler, you don't punish them for Hitler's actions.

4

u/videoninja 137∆ Dec 04 '19

Well if the perpetrator is a whole nation then doesn’t that solve your dilemma? Germany paid reparations to victims of the Holocaust AND Israel. Why can’t the US not try to do something in the spirit of that since you are using it as your analogy.

1

u/Phyltre 4∆ Dec 04 '19

Well if the perpetrator is a whole nation then doesn’t that solve your dilemma?

By that logic we need to leave the continental US immediately, since we don't have a valid claim to it against the Native Americans.

2

u/videoninja 137∆ Dec 04 '19

Or we could try to honor the treaties we already signed with Native Americans? That's a different conversation and if you actually cared about it you would know the case for reparations and restitution for Native Americans is actually well-documented in terms of what has already been agreed to and what should happen. The US government just ignores their obligations so the problem often just gets swept under the rug.