Of all the craziness being pushed by the Left in America, I think the idea of “slavery reparations” might be the most outlandish of them all. Yes, there was a time when reparations would have been justified – back when the majority of former slaves were still alive. But now? Generations have come and gone. Race is no longer a factor where civil rights are concerned. The time for reparations has long since passed.

Why, you might ask, do I believe such? The answer is simple: I do not believe that people alive today should bear any liability for the wrongs of past generations. I am not aware of there having been any slave owners among my ancestors. Many of my ancestors were in fact dirt-poor and barely managed to feed themselves. So why would I owe any money for reparations?

And I’m not the only one opposed. A strong majority of whites oppose it. And while a majority of blacks support the idea, that majority is less than overwhelming. That the percentages are strongly divided along racial lines is no surprise.

Opposition to slavery reparations is reflected in the general population. In a study conducted by YouGov in 2014, only 37% of Americans believed that slaves should have been provided compensation in the form of cash after being freed. Furthermore, only 15% believed that descendants of slaves should receive cash payments. The findings indicated a clear divide between black and white Americans on this issue. The study summarized their findings, noting: “Only 6% of white Americans support cash payments to the descendants of slaves, compared to 59% of black Americans. Similarly, only 19% of whites – and 63% of blacks – support special education and job training programs for the descendants of slaves.”  – Wikipedia Article

Mitsubishi “Zero” WWII Fighter Craft

Do we hold the grandchildren and great grandchildren of Nazi war criminals responsible for the sins of their forefathers? No. Why? Because they didn’t commit those sins. Perhaps I can find some distant kin who died at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack back in 1941. If so, can I sue Mitsubishi for making the planes that destroyed all those US ships? That was a helluva lot more recent than slavery in the US.

And nowadays the left is of course portraying those who oppose reparations as being racist. But that’s a common tactic on the left. Whatever they happen to be up to, if you oppose it, you’re a racist. The race card is the most overplayed card in the political deck.

“And what I saw during my presidency was the politics of White resistance and resentment. The talk of ‘welfare queens’ and the talk of the ‘undeserving’ poor. And the backlash against affirmative action…”
“All that made the prospect of actually proposing any kind of coherent, meaningful reparations program struck me as, politically, not only a nonstarter but potentially counterproductive.” – Barack Obama

And it isn’t just our former President spouting this nonsense…

“Economic issues are the root cause for many critical issues impacting the African American community today. Truth and reconciliation about the ‘original sin of American slavery’ is necessary to light the way to the beloved community we all seek.” – Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D – TX)

Beloved community? A community where I, just because I’m white, am expected to cough up more money to help the Democrats buy more minority votes? And that’s all this is. Maybe a few decades in the past some of the Democrats still felt it was the right thing to do. But now? Nope. The Democratic Party has long kept Black America in its back pocket. African Americans are an important voting bloc to the Left. It’s about nothing but votes and money. Anyone who believes the Democrats give two shits about African Americans is deluded beyond repair. That includes people like Sheila Jackson Lee and Barack Obama.

I live in Mississippi. You know, where a lot of those historical horror stories took place. But now? Drive through any “poor” neighborhood. You’ll discover that Whites are well-represented. Drive through any other neighborhood and you’ll find Blacks, Whites and Hispanics all living side by side. We don’t care about the skin color of our neighbors. We’re too busy working and playing and living our lives to care about such nonsense.

And how would such a thing be implemented? Do we just tax whites, or does everyone pay the tax? Do we create a special payroll deduction just for white folks? And what about the white descendants of those who worked to end slavery in the US? What about the descendants of whites who legally immigrated to America after the Civil War, who had nothing to do with it in either direction? What about someone who’s descended from a slave owner on one side and an abolitionist on the other? Does this person get a discount? What about all the people of mixed race? Do we somehow prorate their payment according to their racial make-up? Where would the line be drawn? Are they guilty just for being white? Keep in mind we’re talking about leftists, who aren’t known for being sensible when it comes to other people’s money.

And why, may I ask, do people always think of blacks when slavery is mentioned? Has history forgotten the enslavement of the Irish and Scots for hundreds of years? Have we forgotten the enslavement of millions of white Europeans by the Ottoman Empire? Are we unaware of the enslavement of millions of Uyghur Muslims in Communist China? What of the incredible abuse of Chinese immigrants in 19th century America? For all practical purposes, were they not slaves?

Antoine Dubuclet

And while we’re on the subject of forgotten history, have we forgotten that there was no shortage of black slave owners in America before the Civil War? People like Marie Therese Metoyer, The Pendarvis Family, Widow C. Richards and Antoine Dubuclet owned thousands of black slaves between them. But if reparations actually happen, will their descendants be asked to cough up some cash? Doubtful. That’d be politically awkward.

The bottom line is this: I am not responsible for what someone in my family might have done over a hundred years ago. I have never owned a slave, and no African American alive today was ever a slave in an American cotton field. It’s high time for the Left to cut the nonsense and find something new to bitch about.

Sources and Related Reading

• • Black Slave Owners
  • Obama On Reparations
  • Sheila Jackson-Lee On Reparations
  • Uyghur Muslims Slaves
  • White Slaves
  • Wikipedia Article on Reparations
  • Image Credit – Japanese Zero Fighter Craft: Wikimedia