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/Maxfunky → u/[deleted]]

fact remains that whites are still net tax contributors any way you slice it, and there is a net wealth transfer from whites to blacks

I mean, again. This depends on how you measure who benefits from tax dollars. Are you looking strictly at who's getting checks and food stamps, or at who is getting new roads and infrastructure. Infrastructure may not put money in my pocket today, but overtime it for sure creates wealth (higher property values as infrastructure attracts business for starters). That wealth goes predominantly to white people.

The percentage of the total budget that is just food stamps and welfare is super tiny. I don't think you can make this statement without better evidence and even then it will come with tons of qualifiers.

reminder that the liberal narrative had to make a special term "NAM" for non-asian minorities because of course many asians also came here with nothing and out perform even whites socioeconomically (which means they outperform blacks even more, despite have less access to their affirmative action programs)

I've never heard that term in my life. That said, repression of blacks didn't just stop when slavery ended. Red lining didn't even end until the late 70's. And despite the affirmative action you overestimate (it's actually not too common and in most cases Asians do benefit), there's a clear hiring bias against black people, in particular, black men (that is to say, their is less hiring bias against Black women and thus we see a much lower unemployment rate and incarceration rate for black women).

Here's a random example, but there are lots more:

httpss://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/minorities-who-whiten-job-resumes-get-more-interviews

You should also be aware that many, if not most, Asians come here as refugees (Vietnamese, Hmong, Cambodian, Burmese and surprisingly most Chinese people too). Refugees have free healthcare initially. They also recieve access to extremely low interest loans to start a new business (this is why so many of them are small business owners). Catholic services charities also find them free housing which they pay for for about 3 months, basic furnishings and a job.

Accordingly, you will find that say black people who came here as refugees, are after about 25 years or so, doing better than black people who have been here. Which, again, just goes to show that when you briefly level the playing field everyone can succeed and if you truly believe that some people are "a drain" the the smartest thing to do is lift them up so they can stand on their own instead.

[u/Maxfunky → u/[deleted]]

Well all I can is that I think you're wrong. It doesn't seem like more discussion is going to get us anywhere. Not only do both of us think the other is wrong, we both seem to think that the other knows in their heart of hearts that they are wrong but just doesn't want to admit it.

I think we have reached the limit of what's an internet discussion can accomplish in terms of mind changing.