Whether if you agree or not black Americans are owed reparations

@IstillmissEP what free money trap exactly?

@ViciDraco I think programs to help everyone is good but it ignores a major problem. Leveling the playing field mid game while a segment of the players were allow to cheat for the first half really solves nothing. Especially when many of those who benefited from the rigged game have the cash to make sure there are always going to be unfair rules.

And not doing something because there are racist dickheads is not a valid argument either.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow I'm not really speaking of a rising tide lifting all boats scenario. I'm speaking of building from the bottom up, and paying for it on the backs of the wealthy.

@ViciDraco Actually that is how many groups advocating reparations want to do things because most are smart enough to know that cutting a check doesn't fundamentally change the problem. A similar process is going on with Truth and Reconciliation movement among Natives in Canada. this has led to its own problems which have been largely political.

@IstillmissEP that's where I thought you were going to go, but didn't want to assume. I think it could be implemented better, but it's a crucial program that does more good than harm.

@ViciDraco Agreed. But it is all about implementation. So far the First Nations were promised that the government would listen to their recommendations and use that to work with them to make meaningful change. Sadly so far what they got was focus groups and photo ops.

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow I was addressing someone else there, hadn't responded to the first nations thing as I don't know much about the effectiveness. So far sounds like not very.

As a society, I just think it is better to attack poverty than to focus on black poverty, even though black poverty is very much a product of unjust law and discrimination over many generations. By attacking poverty in general, I believe it accounts for the fact that blacks are disproportionally impoverished. But that has to go hand in hand with justice system reform, as unbalanced enforcement of law continues to be a way in which blacks are being oppressed and any amount of financial progress will always be undercut by unfair excessive targeting by police.

@ViciDraco careful there people might think of you as a Marxist

@Zenyatta well, I am really far to the libertarian left on the political compass...

@ViciDraco You think hate crimes would increase more than they currently have ? Just by us existing ? 😳

@bijouxbroussard the nature of jealousy and resentment. And you can be sure politicians will be playing up that envy. The notion of black people sucking up welfare isn't even true and it keeps the racism flowing.

@ViciDraco I know. And you can look at the number of times on record when blacks have established businesses and thriving towns, only to have gangs of Klansmen come in, killing people and burning everything to the ground.
They did that [b]without[/b] reparations. So what would change ?