40 acres and a mule?
 

I was watching C-Span yesterday and saw the African-American community speaking out against the wrongs done to their ancestors. They are seeking retribution for this evil. I watched them speak for over an hour and then changed the channel because I never really understood what it is they want.

I have just visited this website and read the 10 points.

www.blackpanther.org/TenPoint.htm

I am still not clear on the whole situation and I really don't agree with numbers 2,6 and especially #8.

I am sure that I am just uninformed so before I make up my mind I would like to know more about this.

It reeks of Communism... It's like just about any Communist agenda I've ever read except it is tailored to a specific audience.

I would imagine if they were awarded on all 10 points it would only increase racial tensions. If someone was interested in most of these things they could move to a "workers' paradise" such as China or Cuba..

I'm probably going to get chewed out for this, but here goes...

I'd like someone to show me a group that doesn't feel they've been oppressed (besides maybe white men...reverse racism?). Look at the American Indians, the Jews, the Japanese after WWII. I feel that unless someone or their parents were the ones involved in slavery, concentration camps, etc, they should not be seeking "retribution." Honor your history, mourn the opression and wrong-doing that happened to your ancestors, but don't make it about personal gain as if it happened directly to you.

I'm smart
 

I would drown this entire thread with my intelligent words, but I am on a 5AM flight out of state to work with one of my firm's clients for a few days.

And this isn't about communism. It's about an oppression that is still alive to this day. It's about a slavery that never went away. It's about a nation that provides benefits derived off this oppression to new immigrants from all over the world to this day whose ancestors never owned slaves and feel they owe no reparations. It's about the 40 acres and a mule and much more that many people were entitled to but never received.

-Rudey
--And with that, when I return I will totally reverse course and discuss why I do NOT believe in reparations. Smooooooochies.

I am proud to call my self an African-American, but I do not agree with the views of the Black Panthers. Honestly I dont know what should be done as far as reparations. It was wrong and evil to take Africans by force from their homeland and enslave them to work in fields, however reparations would be very complexed to distribute. I think it was great that President Clinton made a formal apology for slavery and Im content with that. This is a very complexed issue that involves many factors, too many to go into at 12:30 am. Ill post more of my thoughts tomorrow when Im more coherent. I would like to hear other peoples thoughts on this.

Re: I'm smart
 

I agree Rudey, looking forward to your next post.

American Indians, to this day are compensated for something that started almost 100 years before slavery became rampant in the US. If you are a registered Native American you can go to any state school free of charge. I don't know how Jews have been oppressed in the US. Some Japanese people were put into camps during WW2 were they treated as slaves/lynched? No. As a matter of fact, the US dropped two H-Bombs on Japan and then turned around and gave them all the money to rebuild their country in addition to rewriting their constitution and redesigning many aspects of their govt.

Personally, I am against giving every African American a check for X amount of money; but I feel that saying their claims are unsubstantiated is ridiculous.

I'm so embarrassed to ask this, because I should know this: What is capitalism and fascism?

Capitalism- the economic system in which all or most of the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit, originally under fully competitive conditions: it has been generally characterized by a tendency toward concentration of wealth, and, in its later phase, by the growth of great corporations, increased governmental control etc.


Fascism- a system of government characterized by rigid one-party dictatorship, forcible suppression of opposition, private economic enterprise under centralized governmental control, belligerant nationalism, racism and militarism - first instituted in Italy in 1922 - a.k.a. Nazi



Nazi- characteristic of the German fascist political party founded in 1919 and abolished in 1945: Under Hitler it seized control of Germany in 1933, systematically eliminated opposion and put into effect its program of nationalism, racism, rearmament, aggression etc. - a member or supporter of this or any similar party- one who thinks or behaves like a nazi

sorry to interrupt the serious nature of this thread, but when i read the title that said something about 40 acres and a mule i thought it was gonna be a joke about uTexas and chrissy sims.

(any longhorns out there might appreciate the symbolism)

again, sorry to interject, continue your disucssion :p

Kitso
KS 361

I believe you misunderstood what I said. For example, I have a lot of things in my history for which I am angry about, and I have every right to my anger/pain/sadness, etc. But that's what makes it history; it didn't happen directly to me. I never said their feeling and their opinions are ridiculous, just that in my opinion people who look for personal gain under the guise of something else are out for themselves. (***This is not just related to slavery repartions, this is how I feel in general***). If the majority of people that were interested in reparations said: "it would be nice to have reparations for slavery memorials," "to give to the NAACP," "...to the UNCF," or "...for research into diseases that are more prevelent in African Americans" etc, I think more people wouldn't be as against it. And yes, I'm sure there are people that do it for such reasons, but there will always a group of people that say it for personal gain and those are the people that make others feel as though the claims - not the feelings, but the claims - are not legitimate.

I agree LeslieAGD. Im not looking for any reparations, but it would be great if public school systems studied slavery a lot more. Freshman year a group of my friends and I were having a conversation, and they new a little bit about it. Also going to a state school anywhere in the country free of charge would be cool too. Wash DC has something like that already though, if you graduate from a DC Public High School you can go to any state school in the country for in-state tuition.

I believe in reprations. I don't think you should be mailed a check personally, but I do feel that innercity areas, regardless of the majority color, because in order for an individualistic society to progress fairly, everyone should start from the same place. If you get ahead it should be because of your own efforts, not becase you were too poor to afford breakfast so you fail at life and never make it, or because you live off your parents grandparents wealth. Nothing in that list is communist. Democratic Liberal Socialist maybe, but not Communist. The Black Panthers are not a red army. Under communism you wouldn't have the Black Panthers only Communist party.

What about this?
 

so slaves were promised 40 acres and a mule. However, generations later, there are many more blacks decended from these slaves, so should the 40 acres and mule be split up among each of their hundred decendents or however many? just a thought, not saying i agree or disagree with it.

I do, however, think that if reparations are ever given, that the person getting them should have to prove that they are a descendent of a slave. I'm sure most black americans are, but i'm also sure that somewhere out there, there are those that look no different than any others, who's relatives came here after slavery, just like my buddy matt, who looks like a normal white dude, like me, is only a second generation american born citizen, whereas my family dates back at least a few hundred years. see what i'm saying there?

Please tell me I'm misunderstanding point #9:

"WE WANT FREEDOM FOR ALL BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE NOW HELD IN U. S. FEDERAL, STATE, COUNTY, CITY AND MILITARY PRISONS AND JAILS"

:eek: They can NOT be suggesting that every single black and oppressed (I assume by that they mean non-white) person in jail should be let free....right? If that's truly what they mean, they seriously need a wakeup call. While many people sit in cells, wrongly accused, there are people in the clink because they are G-U-I-L-T-Y. Do we want them roaming around?

As for #6:

"WE WANT COMPLETELY FREE HEALTH CARE FOR All BLACK AND OPPRESSED PEOPLE. "

Does that mean Michael Jordan gets free health care?