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This came up today with a friend.

Specifically, reparations for black slavery. Whether it's right or wrong, good or bad, and if done, how could you possibly put a monetary value on a person's life and freedom?!

I'm also wondering whether reparations for Nazi war crimes should be considered but I don't know if that's for another thread or for this one.

Then there are the Indians/Native Americans to be considered. Do they really have a fair deal right now?

Where would we (as in the world in general, no country specifically) begin and where would we stop if we started paying for our wrongdoings?

red i am ringing you on skype just to say hello :-4

Its too far removed.

No.

Nomad;654742 wrote: Its too far removed.

No.


How do you mean, Nomad?

RedGlitter;654751 wrote: How do you mean, Nomad?




When was slavery abolished ?

January of 1865.

I think I see your point and I would tend to agree but I know there are people who say "what's time?"

My concern is where does it stop? If people had to pay other people for their trespasses, money would be changing hands between all kinds of peoples. What people haven't been in some sort of invasive conflict. Well maybe the Swiss, I don't know.

My bigger concern though is the money factor. You can't put a high enough value on "sorry I whipped, raped and sold your grandma."

You know what I mean, Jellybean?

At that time Im sure $ would have been the least of gestures but helpful to those trespassed but I just dont see how it fits in to the scheme of things concerning ancestors.

Neither do I. I think if it were going to happen, it should have been done *then* to the victims or next-of but to wait until generations later and pay people who had nothing to do with it, just doesn't work for me.

RedGlitter;654771 wrote: Neither do I. I think if it were going to happen, it should have been done *then* to the victims or next-of but to wait until generations later and pay people who had nothing to do with it, just doesn't work for me.




Course we were still hanging them in the 60's down south, an oops and a Swiss bank acct. might work for grandma.

That's a good point.

I don't know. The more I think about the Jewish issue, the more offering repayment for making gloves and lampshades from their skin seems like a total absurdity in its worth. Like money doesn't make everything better. Or even right.

I'll go for the memorials. And I'll go for admittance of wrongs. But I can't go for the closure. That's a 1990s psychobabble word. (No offense to you!) Dr. Phil stuff. I don't think there can ever be closure with such heinous wrongdoings.

I'll go for the first two.

I understand that point. But for me, closure smacks of forgiveness and that's the part I balk at. I don't think some things should ever be forgiven.