Africa Speaks Reasoning Forum

 Writer: Slavery reparations ‘won’t happen’
by Roger Harris

I can’t let Bailey Penn’s contribution last week calling for reparations for slavery go unanswered.

 

What happened to black Africans who were transported was indeed terrible, but there is not one person alive today who was negatively affected by it. In fact, it could be argued that blacks in the West, descended from slaves, are far better off than they would be if their ancestors had remained in Africa. How many would care to go and live there now? Why are so many Africans desperately trying to get to Europe by any means? And why are so many Latinos trying to get to the United States? Present-day blacks should thank their enslaved ancestors for helping to build the great society we have today, with all its wealth, health and prosperity. Do you think African countries are worse off than they would have been if their ancestors had stayed?

As for reparations, to whom would they be paid? To every black person? To all black people who can prove they are descendants of transported slaves? To African countries or their governments? It is well known that some 90 percent of aid money ends up in the pockets of corrupt officials. Where would the money come from? From the US and Europe? And where would those governments get the money? From their income, which comes from taxes taken from their working populations, which include people of all colours and backgrounds. So do black people living in the West want their government to spend their tax dollars repaying other blacks or African countries, thus depriving them of the benefits those taxes bring — and likely increasing their own taxes as well?

Sorry, but it just does not make any sense. And don’t forget that most advanced countries already have aid programmes giving a percentage of their GDP to poorer countries.

It’s very easy from a purely selfish personal stance to think, “I could do with a pocket full of dollars to compensate for my great-great-grandfather being transported.” But it just won’t happen.


http://www.bvibeacon.com/1/index.php/2013-06-10-05-53-19/4676-writer-slavery-reparations-won-t-happen (http://www.bvibeacon.com/1/index.php/2013-06-10-05-53-19/4676-writer-slavery-reparations-won-t-happen)