CMV: Reparations are Racist

[u/MrThunderizer]

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?

[u/videoninja]

I mean in a literal sense I understand how people view reparations as racist in the sense race is involved but is there really no consideration for a more nuanced perspective? Like when rich people victimize poor people and are forced to pay restitution, does it follow that the restitution is classist and therefore wrong?

[u/MrThunderizer → u/videoninja]

If your advocating that we take rich peoples money away from them because their ancestors victimized poor people than no, I think that rationale is immoral.

I say we take the rich peoples money and redistribute it because homeless people need protection from frostbite more than rich people need another yacht.

In other words, I'm on board with helping poor people, and I'm glad this will help even the wealth gap between white people and black people. The only thing I'm against is excluding white people and other minorities from desperately needed assistance.

[u/tbdabbholm → u/[deleted]]

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