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Researchers have reportedly found evidence that the ancestors of Al Sharpton may have been owned by the ancestors of Democrat-turned Dixiecrat-turned Republican Strom Thurmond. This is an interesting, albeit ironic, possibility.
We are now hearing demands from descendants of West African Americanized slaves claiming reparations. Who should be responsible for paying those reparations? And who should receive them? First, what about an American Black U.S. citizen who is not a descendant from American slaves, such as Barak Obama, or others who immigrated to the U.S. from other countries? Clearly, they have no stake in this matter. Now, for those who truly are descendants of West Africans who became slaves in America, just where should their demands for reparations be directed?
Let it be said that no living black Americans have been slaves in America. It is also safe to say that no living white Americans owned slaves. In fact there are probably far more living Americans whose ancestors fought and died to end slavery because they found it ugly and absolutely abhorrent. Approximately 700,000 Americans died in the Civil War to bring an end to slavery.
So who is responsible for slavery? Some ill-informed people tend to blame it all on American southern plantation owners and ignore the role of British, Spanish, and Portuguese merchants who bought slaves and transported them to the Americas for resale. Some want to blame it on those middle-men slave merchants and slave ship owners and ignore the role of those who first seized free Africans, dragging them from their homes to be sold to the middle-men.
And just who were those at the bottom of this ugly supply chain? Who seized free men and women and forced them into slavery in the first place? History tells us in almost all cases they were Arab Muslim slavers whose religion, Islam, decreed that the taking of slaves of those they conquered is approved by Allah; A lawful reward for striving to carry out Allah's edict to his believers to force all people and all nations into Islam (submission); a doctrine which still prompts conquest, subjugation, terrorism and slave-taking today.
Some political leaders of former slave states have taken steps to apologize and to try to make some amends for this horrid but now long-abolished-in-America practice. True, without plantation owners there may have been no slave ships sailing to our shores, but as we take a closer look at the history of slavery, we see this interesting truth: it was mostly Arab Muslims who had been actively engaged in the practice of seizing and selling human beings into slavery for centuries. So, the real....the original slavers (and still in the business today) are Muslim slavers who seized and enslaved not only black Africans but also white Europeans, brown Indonesians, and olive-skinned people of India, Persia and the Mid-east.
Al Sharpton's ancestors were in all probability captured and first made slaves by Arab or Black MUSLIMS. Yes, they were eventually bought by plantation owners who needed strong healthy males and females capable of sustained hard work under onerous conditions. Those slaves at least found conditions and the courage within themselves to survive, and even raise children, their descendants now living as free people, some in America.
The same was not so for many millions of slaves of various nationalities who were captured. Often Arab Muslim slavers didn't want to deal with whole men. Eunuchs were more valuable. Many unfortunate victims were often mutilated in a most barbaric and savage manner in castration stations established along the slaver's routes. This practice continues in sub-Sahara Africa to this day. These acts were not clean and surgical. They were performed with dirty knives, and more of the victims died than lived, and still die horribly today, in Mauritania, in the Sudan (Darfur today, and who knows where next) and everywhere in between.
In lieu of reparations, our political, religious, educational, and business leaders need to not only demand, but take real steps to end the vicious ugliness of slavery and human subjugation today and for all times wherever this ugliness takes place.
And our black descendants of American slaves might more appropriately direct their demands for reparations to states of the Muslim world which first seized and enslaved their fore bearers. They might also consider that, had that not happened, they might today be living in an impoverished African nation, and themselves at risk of being enslaved tomorrow.
The original article is about black reparations in America, but I want to address the issue of reparations in general.
Good idea? Bad idea? And like the title asks...from who? And to who? And is it even a good idea to perpetuate the status of 'victimhood' amongst black people in today's America?
Forced reparations? If they can do that I'm suing Texas for my land back, or the net worth of 1/350th of the current value of 1/8th of Texas. Should be a cool six or seven digit number that could goto something important like education and not me turning my place into a replica of PeeWee's Playhouse (Family Reference Alert).
What we'll do is setup these areas for them to live in for very cheap rent called "African American Reservations". They'll be slums of course but we won't tell them that and they'll live there because we'll make them exempt from state tax (just raise their federal tax) and let them keep 200 bucks a quarter off the casino's they build. Then barely give their government complex enough money to run and yank their youth budget everytime a Republican waddles their fatass into office.
Yeah, that'll work. 😉
~Tobe
Hell, I'm 1/8th Cherokee so I could just sue any random white person I see j/k.
But I agree with the article. People should just let things go.
That would probably make you like the purest blood Cherokee alive. 😉
~Tobe
Reparations aren't a good idea, because it's just free money because what, their grandparents, great-grandparents, whatever, were slaves? I don't see what that has to do with handing out free money to people.
I really hate race issues. I really hate how african-americans ("Black" is racist unless you are said race. Someone literally told me that.) are still the victims of society because of the 19th century. Do I feel America has always been right about race? No. I still sometimes wonder how the Constitution could have been written as it is, yet still allow slavery, racsm, etc. But do I feel this "reverse-racism" is acceptable in payback? Just as much "No." I don't see why, for example, thousands or tens of thousands of dollars can go towards scholarships if someone is African-American and it's equal-rights, yet if a fraternity in a collegein Boston offers $250 (which iwll barely buy you a cup of coffee in college) for whites only, it's racist and they're kicked out of the school and forced to hide from the people who threaten to kill them.
I hate it more just because of how sensitive it is. It's tricky to argue against such things without beng accused of racism. Logic is secondary to perfception, and if you're against anything to do with apologizing for slavery, a lot of people would percieve you as racist. It's just engrained into modern culture to complain about racism for every single thing. Anything can become a race issue: Lit class, a sub was in the room for some reason, and Ms. Taylor (assistant teacher) walks in the room. I remark and guesture to the sub (Both are black) "Oh, I thought you'd just gotten a haircut."
The reply? "So you're saying all blacks look perfectly alike?!" Loud. She told me later she was kidding, but I still chewed her out, as that's how rumours get started. Being a horribly out-of-shape, quiet white kid in a school of appx. 75% black population, I really don't want a rumour that I'm racist going around. People are stupid enough to believe it with no more proof than "My friend said her friend heard the teacher say Drew said something about black people."
I know it was a joke. She knows I know it was a joke. Still, I find it pathetic that the first thing to come to mind is to call racism. Very, very pathetic.
Okay, back on topic: I want more free money to whites. D:
I want free money to Irish. I'm more that than injun. What about NINA, wasn't THAT "racism"? 🙁
~Tobe
I want free money to SXes.
You can already get that if you buy a vowel.
~Tobe
But I have to work for that, it isn't free money 🙁
Not if you have fun at work! 😀
~Tobe
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And just who were those at the bottom of this ugly supply chain? Who seized free men and women and forced them into slavery in the first place? History tells us in almost all cases they were Arab Muslim slavers whose religion, Islam, decreed that the taking of slaves of those they conquered is approved by Allah; A lawful reward for striving to carry out Allah's edict to his believers to force all people and all nations into Islam (submission); a doctrine which still prompts conquest, subjugation, terrorism and slave-taking today.
LOL I knew this was somehow going to be turned into blaming blacks and muslims. You can't have a conservative write about race without it.
You're wrong, there are slaveowners currently around to pay off reparations. Corporations are tecnically legal persons, and, thanks to the Republicans, they have more rights than real people. So we find corporations involved in slavery and can find clear sources of reparation money. Who gets the money is a trickier issue. LOL you knew this was going to involve blaming corporations.
Republican versus Democrat fight! ONLY ON PPV! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! :3
~Tobe
Actually, Ultra is wrong. Muslims, especially Arab Muslims, had nothing to do with the American slave trade. Unless you count the fall of the Fatimid dynasty and the Mali empire, which destroyed African trade and forced sub-saharan tribes (among them some Muslims, but a very slim minority at this time were not indigenous) to look for other forms of trade, which caused inter-tribal war. War causes prisoners, and prisoners are valuable booty. But when other tribes don't have money, who can they be traded to?
Enter the Europeans, i.e. the Portruguese. They, and other Europeans countries, paid these tribes money in exchange for their prisoners. Hence, the American slave trade was born, where, at first, a lot of people were sent to the West Indies, where they died on sugar plantations. When planters in the Americas realized that if they took better care of their slaves, they would get a better investment and not have to keep buying slaves when they died off or were voluntarily released. So came life-long slavery, which spawned generations of slaves in North and South America.
So, who is to pay? Well, the African tribes, of course. But, they have no money, and their resources are tapped out by greedy dictators or by civil war. So...have the dictators pay. But what about those countries who were robbed blind by Europe? Well, have the European countries pay! But what about the slaves who lived in this country, or this one, or....
...Do we see how riciulous this is? Since everyone is to blame, there really can't be an effective system for reparations. So, no one pays nobody. At least, that's what I think. The best way to show your are truly forgiving is to have political action - raise the rights of those who cannot help themselves. Help out African countries who truly need the help. Condemn countries like Sudan for genocide, but also embargo them. Show African Americans and Americans alike that we're willing to take more than a symbolic stand for them and for those who are still suffering. In this way, actions speak louders than words - and sometimes, even louder than money.
I don't know enough about world history to say exactly what race or nationality owes what other race or nationality what.
but I do know that it is kinda pathetic that we divide ourselves as "_________ Americans" instead of just "Americans."
Yes, that's a pretty old line. But still, just because it's been repeated half to death doesn't make it wrong.
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That would probably make you like the purest blood Cherokee alive.
Actually, my bum of a father (Whom which I have had no contact with in about 16 or so years) is 1/4th Cherokee so I guess that title would go to him
Reparations doesn't only mean getting free money. It doesn't have to even be that. They could use the money to improve inner-city schools or something like that. Besides, the only ones who didn't get any reparartions are the blacks.
Lets not get into the which abused minority deserves what. Cuz I'm sure the government would be glad to do what they did for the native americans and toss a few 1000 acre plots of infertile land up in wyoming/utah to different tribes of african slaves.
~Tobe
I still think it's just a bit...too late. Seriously, if this were the 70's, it'd make a BIT more sense, but this is 2007. Why the hell has it taken 30-40 years for anyone to want reparations?
Yeah this dispute is probably generations old now. If it hasn't been solved yet then it needs to be let go. There are plenty of ways to better ones self without free money. And because people get lazier with each new generation, maybe free money started looking appealing. They'd probably just use it to buy a car or something. Not to actually better there people.
Just what do you think we do with our casino stipends? 😉
Well, I usually blow mine on getting the brats something. But thats still pretty much wasting it in the eyes of "The People".
~Tobe
We should give them money, then tell them what to do with it!
Well, what do I do with it?
Donate it to the SX Fund, damnit.
NO! I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I WANT IT!
*Cries like a 3-year old*
The SX Fund is a very good cause...llike my wallet!
*Runs off with money and buys useless junk*
It's funny, cause I brought this reparations thing up in my Public Speaking class.
We spent the rest of the class arguing about it. It's really a powder keg of an issue. Plus I think this country has a lot under-the-surface tension on both sides when it comes to race. I'm black by the way.
*Wants Gutar Hero 2 but doesn't have 90 bucks*
*Needs free cash....*
I WANT MY REPARATIONS!!!!!
*calls Jesse Jackson*
...Alright, who keeps turning them loose on the three month old dead threads?
