Some black activists and social justice warriors in the United States have been for many years loudly advocating and demanding "reparations" for slavery. They have been pounding on it so loudly and for so long that now even some Democrat presidential candidates are promising them.
I have to ask: "Reparations" for what, exactly?
A government can pay reparations to another country or a group of people when it has directly caused them harm or loss of property. For example, if one country attacks another, and in doing so causes a significant amount of property and infrastructure damage, causing significant monetary loss to that country, it may be demanded to later compensate that other country for its losses, and to help with literal reparations (ie. rebuilding the infrastructure etc.) Reparations may also be in place if the attack caused significant loss of life, as a compensatory measure for the suffering and harm caused.
If a government directly causes harm to a group of people, such as for example by expropriating their lands and property, especially if it happens in an unjust manner, the government may later pay reparations to those people for their loss. These reparations could take the form of returning the land and property to them or, if that's not feasible (eg. because a city has been built onto those lands), giving them other land in compensation, or paying them a sum of money equivalent to the estimated value of that land.
"Reparations" are, thus, essentially, either returning to some country or group of people what was stolen, or compensating them for what was destroyed (eg. to help them rebuild). It's usually done to the affected people directly, or any people who would have inherited the destroyed or stolen property.
In this light, what exactly would black people in the United States get "reparations" for? What exactly was stolen from them, or what property of theirs was destroyed? What would this money be compensating or helping?
No black person currently alive in the United States has ever lived in slavery. None of their parents has lived in slavery either. In fact, not all black people in the United States are descendants of slaves at all. But even in the case of those who are, what exactly is it that these "reparations" would be compensating? What did the people alive today lose that they now need to get back in the name of fairness? What is this loss of property, that needs to be compensated?
And that's one of the main problems with these suggested "reparations": Since there is no measurable and quantifiable loss of property, something which value could be estimated and thus a compensation given, such "reparations" would never end. How much would be enough? How many millions or billions of dollars would be a fair compensations for this unquantifiable "loss" that they have suffered? A hundred million? A billion? Ten billion? How much? What is the value of this "loss"?
It doesn't require a genius to realize that if these "reparations" were to start being enacted, there would be no end to them, because they are unquantifiable. It's impossible to tell when enough has been enough, because there is no destroyed or lost property to quantify. Which means that if these policies were enacted, then there would be no upper limit to these "reparations". There will be no point in time where they will say "ok, this is enough. Our loss has been compensated."
Once you start giving people free money, they will want more of it. If the government at some point stops giving them that free money, a revolt will ensue. People get greedy when they are handed things for free, especially when it's not something they already owned and is simply returned to them, but is fully free extra cash. Does anybody honestly think that at some point in the future they will be like "ok, now we are happy, you can stop giving us this free money"? Obviously not. It would be an endless and eternal money sinkhole. At no point will they be happy. They will always want more.
And for what?
(And before anybody gets the wrong idea, I'm not talking about black people in particular when I'm talking about greed. All people are like that. Start giving them free extra cash, and they will always want more of it. At no point will they say "ok, this is enough, you don't need to give me any more".)
I have to ask: "Reparations" for what, exactly?
A government can pay reparations to another country or a group of people when it has directly caused them harm or loss of property. For example, if one country attacks another, and in doing so causes a significant amount of property and infrastructure damage, causing significant monetary loss to that country, it may be demanded to later compensate that other country for its losses, and to help with literal reparations (ie. rebuilding the infrastructure etc.) Reparations may also be in place if the attack caused significant loss of life, as a compensatory measure for the suffering and harm caused.
If a government directly causes harm to a group of people, such as for example by expropriating their lands and property, especially if it happens in an unjust manner, the government may later pay reparations to those people for their loss. These reparations could take the form of returning the land and property to them or, if that's not feasible (eg. because a city has been built onto those lands), giving them other land in compensation, or paying them a sum of money equivalent to the estimated value of that land.
"Reparations" are, thus, essentially, either returning to some country or group of people what was stolen, or compensating them for what was destroyed (eg. to help them rebuild). It's usually done to the affected people directly, or any people who would have inherited the destroyed or stolen property.
In this light, what exactly would black people in the United States get "reparations" for? What exactly was stolen from them, or what property of theirs was destroyed? What would this money be compensating or helping?
No black person currently alive in the United States has ever lived in slavery. None of their parents has lived in slavery either. In fact, not all black people in the United States are descendants of slaves at all. But even in the case of those who are, what exactly is it that these "reparations" would be compensating? What did the people alive today lose that they now need to get back in the name of fairness? What is this loss of property, that needs to be compensated?
And that's one of the main problems with these suggested "reparations": Since there is no measurable and quantifiable loss of property, something which value could be estimated and thus a compensation given, such "reparations" would never end. How much would be enough? How many millions or billions of dollars would be a fair compensations for this unquantifiable "loss" that they have suffered? A hundred million? A billion? Ten billion? How much? What is the value of this "loss"?
It doesn't require a genius to realize that if these "reparations" were to start being enacted, there would be no end to them, because they are unquantifiable. It's impossible to tell when enough has been enough, because there is no destroyed or lost property to quantify. Which means that if these policies were enacted, then there would be no upper limit to these "reparations". There will be no point in time where they will say "ok, this is enough. Our loss has been compensated."
Once you start giving people free money, they will want more of it. If the government at some point stops giving them that free money, a revolt will ensue. People get greedy when they are handed things for free, especially when it's not something they already owned and is simply returned to them, but is fully free extra cash. Does anybody honestly think that at some point in the future they will be like "ok, now we are happy, you can stop giving us this free money"? Obviously not. It would be an endless and eternal money sinkhole. At no point will they be happy. They will always want more.
And for what?
(And before anybody gets the wrong idea, I'm not talking about black people in particular when I'm talking about greed. All people are like that. Start giving them free extra cash, and they will always want more of it. At no point will they say "ok, this is enough, you don't need to give me any more".)
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