Ta-Nehisi Coates Master Thread

[michigancat]

I know it's not easy

[cfbandyman]

I know it's not easy

All good 

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

wouldn't they be owed the GDP since 1776 or so?

1620, iirc. In British crowns.

[sonofdaxjones]

Where can I get the "ancestors were anti-slavery and even had to flee for their lives because they were against slavery" exemption form?

[Rage Against the McKee]

They get them.  Not addressing value, but they have land, no taxes, fed funds, etc.

The land they "got" was land they already owned. It's the worst piece of the land they already owned and the only reason they got that is because they signed a peace treaty.

[Emo EMAW]

Someone could argue the black Americans today have benefited from having their ancestors enslaved and brought here.  Life is much better here, today, than where they came from. 

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

Someone could argue the black Americans today have benefited from having their ancestors enslaved and brought here.  Life is much better here, today, than where they came from.

Most people understand that in real life when you calculate damages you look at where the person is now compared to where they would be without the alleged harm. In white guilt libtard land you rely on conjecture, revised history, fuzzy math and self interested "studies" when giving away other people's money.

[CNS]

"Dear Black America, you're welcome."

[star seed 7]

Guess fsd won't be mad when we are better off after the second amendment is abolished

[chuckjames]

I don't always agree with Coates, but i think he is one of the great thinkers of this generation, and every time I'm done reading something by him I'm left contemplating my own thoughts on the issue.

[ChiComCat]

Someone could argue the black Americans today have benefited from having their ancestors enslaved and brought here.  Life is much better here, today, than where they came from.

Most people understand that in real life when you calculate damages you look at where the person is now compared to where they would be without the alleged harm. In white guilt libtard land you rely on conjecture, revised history, fuzzy math and self interested "studies" when giving away other people's money.

I'm sorry that black people haven't sent you the "Thanks for kidnapping and enslaving our ancestors" card that you are waiting on.  I'm sure it was just lost in the mail

[MakeItRain]

Someone could argue the black Americans today have benefited from having their ancestors enslaved and brought here.  Life is much better here, today, than where they came from.

WOW

[Emo EMAW]

Someone could argue the black Americans today have benefited from having their ancestors enslaved and brought here.  Life is much better here, today, than where they came from.

Most people understand that in real life when you calculate damages you look at where the person is now compared to where they would be without the alleged harm. In white guilt libtard land you rely on conjecture, revised history, fuzzy math and self interested "studies" when giving away other people's money.

I'm sorry that black people haven't sent you the "Thanks for kidnapping and enslaving our ancestors" card that you are waiting on.  I'm sure it was just lost in the mail

Hey it's you white devils that did it, not me or my ancestors. 

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

Someone could argue the black Americans today have benefited from having their ancestors enslaved and brought here.  Life is much better here, today, than where they came from.

Most people understand that in real life when you calculate damages you look at where the person is now compared to where they would be without the alleged harm. In white guilt libtard land you rely on conjecture, revised history, fuzzy math and self interested "studies" when giving away other people's money.

I'm sorry that black people haven't sent you the "Thanks for kidnapping and enslaving our ancestors" card that you are waiting on.  I'm sure it was just lost in the mail

Why would I get a card? I didn't enslave anybody and, like the overwhelming majority of people in this country, my ancestors arrival in the u.s. post dates slavery.

I'm just explaining the rudimentary concept of how damages are calculated.  When people are kidnapped, do we give them back to their family or set up some kind, of shitty annuity for them and stick them in substandard  housing? Not following the analogy here.

[ChiComCat]

Damages can be calculated a number of ways, including loss of income in many disputes involving labor issues.  In that case, a fair way to assess damages could be seen as back pay plus interest for 150 years.

As far as reparations are concerned, I'm not saying sending all the ancestors of slaves a check is something that should be done.  I would say the fact that politically we can't have a discussion on the issue is disappointing.

[CNS]

Disappointing, but not surprising.  Politics has become something where simply talking to the other side is weakness.

As far as value, there is no way the country could afford any meaningful amt.  Earlier, someone noted $100B would equate to something like $2,400 per person.  You could times that by 10 and it is still nothing that would change anyone's life, let alone the position of the next generation.  Money simply can't be the answer. 

[MakeItRain]

Someone could argue the black Americans today have benefited from having their ancestors enslaved and brought here.  Life is much better here, today, than where they came from.

Most people understand that in real life when you calculate damages you look at where the person is now compared to where they would be without the alleged harm. In white guilt libtard land you rely on conjecture, revised history, fuzzy math and self interested "studies" when giving away other people's money.

I'm sorry that black people haven't sent you the "Thanks for kidnapping and enslaving our ancestors" card that you are waiting on.  I'm sure it was just lost in the mail

Why would I get a card? I didn't enslave anybody and, like the overwhelming majority of people in this country, my ancestors arrival in the u.s. post dates slavery.

I'm just explaining the rudimentary concept of how damages are calculated.  When people are kidnapped, do we give them back to their family or set up some kind, of shitty annuity for them and stick them in substandard  housing? Not following the analogy here.

That along with the Mayflower point isn't necessarily a bad point but the flaw in the analogies are; the United States government did not exist at the time so they cannot be held liable for permitting something when they didn't exist. The government does not permit kidnapping, so again they cannot be held liable. The US government did permit slavery for nearly 100 years.

[dmartin]

If the $$$ are based on slavery only, do you divide the reparations between the descendants of each slave?  The more descendants the smaller the share?  What if descendants trees cross paths, which I would think would be a guarantee to happen. If you came to america after slavery was abolished, you are not included? 

[michigancat]

Disappointing, but not surprising.  Politics has become something where simply talking to the other side is weakness.

As far as value, there is no way the country could afford any meaningful amt.  Earlier, someone noted $100B would equate to something like $2,400 per person.  You could times that by 10 and it is still nothing that would change anyone's life, let alone the position of the next generation.  Money simply can't be the answer. 

$24k could change the life of a lot of poor people.

[EMAWican]

What about those who are 1/2 black? Do they get 1/2 as much?  1/4? 1/10? etc.

[MakeItRain]

If the $$$ are based on slavery only, do you divide the reparations between the descendants of each slave?  The more descendants the smaller the share?  What if descendants trees cross paths, which I would think would be a guarantee to happen. If you came to america after slavery was abolished, you are not included? 

If you read the Coates piece, he attributes supremacy to slavery so none of these things matter. I do think some of these issues need to be parsed out though. Barack Obama is a classic example. He's African American but he's first generation American born. Coates believes he would be eligible for reparations but I think a line should be drawn somewhere, I really don't know what that line is though. I'd like for it to happen without the need for DNA testing but I don't think it's possible.

[CNS]

Disappointing, but not surprising.  Politics has become something where simply talking to the other side is weakness.

As far as value, there is no way the country could afford any meaningful amt.  Earlier, someone noted $100B would equate to something like $2,400 per person.  You could times that by 10 and it is still nothing that would change anyone's life, let alone the position of the next generation.  Money simply can't be the answer. 

$24k could change the life of a lot of poor people.

Not if you are talking about making up for lost economic opportunity over a hundred years, or so. That opportunity is not just how in debt are you know, but how likely your kid is to be educated and go on to be secure as well.  I don't think $24k gets that done.   Also, (again I didn't do this math) that would be $1Trillion.  We aren't giving out $1Trillion. 

[CNS]

I also might suggest that, if money is the tool, that anyone who is above a certain financial worth be excluded.  If you overcame the barrier and are exceeding, good for you, and you don't need help. 

[MakeItRain]

What about those who are 1/2 black? Do they get 1/2 as much?  1/4? 1/10? etc.

I don't know of a single half black person in this country that isn't seen as black, not a one. So again if you are giving reparations to fix the issue of supremacy the one drop rule applies here.

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

What about those who are 1/2 black? Do they get 1/2 as much?  1/4? 1/10? etc.

I don't know of a single half black person in this country that isn't seen as black, not a one. So again if you are giving reparations to fix the issue of supremacy the one drop rule applies here.

I have a drop or two in my lineage.