I agree, and I'm sorry if I misread your comment. Having lived in both countries, I just saw the similarity in the public's reception of the notion of a population seeking reperations from a historical event they're basically removed from in chronological sense. The current population is generations out, and a lot of the blatant outright issues have been fixed, but there are obviously still problems that need to be dealt with.
What I meant is the idea of people seeking reperations for damage done generations before their birth. Not an American thing. Not a black people thing.
Ah, I see. To be honest I was just being flippant in my wording because the OP is clearly just stirring up shit for a laugh.
That being said, I don't really agree with reparations on a personal level. For example - my great grandma's sister owned your great uncle's wife as a slave, therefore I should give you $10,000 because it's my fault, and once you have that money the issue can be put to rest. That kind of system is totally fucking stupid. However I believe that governments and monarchys absolutely should remember their history and consider these things. For example, I do not disagree that indigenous people should keep the reservations that they were given. I don't disagree that they should change the date of Australia Day. I think a lot more should be done in Australia to try and repair this damage. I confidently assume the same can be said for indigenous Americans, but I can't really speak with any authority on it because I haven't been there and don't know enough about it.
I think trying to put the blame on individual people is where it falls apart. It becomes needlessly complex and futile. Most people these days have mixed heritage and it's quite rare that you can really pin someone down as being purely one race/nationality, especially when you consider how borders have changed throughout history. Every person on the planet has some persecuted blood in them. Besides, even if you could pin down someone's ancestry to a "perpetrator" or whatever you would call them, it still seems totally unfair to blame that person in any way for the actions of a distant ancestor.
So I don't know where that leaves me. I suppose it just depends what is meant by reparations.
Is now considered a shameful comment online because it contributes nothing, but I pretty much agree with everything you've said & you've said it very eloquently.
I think I misread your original comment. I don't believe in simple reperations. They're fundamentally useless, in my opinion. Foisting a handful of dollars at people doesn't solve systemic issues.
I just sort of have a problem with the pervasive attitude in America that people have been afforded the same basic rights... to vote, to own property, to get married...and that's enough. job well done...pack it up, boys, no need to do anything here.
People who view racism superficially are convinced that the problem has been solved. It obviously has not.
I don't think every back person should be handed a check. I absolutely do believe there are things that need repairing.
People misunderstand my views on online forums so frequently that I can only assume that it's my own fault, rather than theirs. I tend to make sweeping statements and then not explain things fully. Perhaps it's laziness on my part.
Nah, nah...you were pretty clear. You actually specifically said in your original comment that you were talking about the notion of individual people owing reperations, socially or otherwise. I just missed it because as an American living in australia, I constantly get to hear about certain issues being the fault of Americans, when there's this entire parallel of similar issues that are happening in Australia & has absolutely nothing to do with America.
It's just so fucking exhausting being constantly asked about it & confronted about it just because of my accent.
One of my close friends here is American and I've noticed that she is really careful about certain things. She seems hyper aware of the American stereotypes and obviously bends over backwards to not be one.
She is such a lovely person, really would do anything for anyone, and she is religious but literally never mentions it, to the point where if someone ask her to meet on Sunday morning she will just say "I have a hobby that I do so can't meet until 12".
I had only known her for 6 weeks when I had my first child and, totally unprompted, she came over with freshly made food and cleaned my bathroom. I didn't even realise she was doing it until she had almost finished. I told her she shouldn't have and she said "you don't have any family here, so someone needs to do these things". Then she went home and left me to sleep.
You honestly couldn't meet a nicer person and it's such a shame that she gets so much shit. I wasn't aware of how deeply embedded that awful American stereotype is until I met her. It follows her everywhere.
That's a really nice story & she sounds like a lovely friend. It doesn't have anything to do with being American though lol. American people are just people at the end of the day, just like the British, just like the Aussies. Some of them are fantastic, lovely friends. Some of them are fucking assholes.
I've personally made peace with being an American living abroad. I dislike the things that are associated with my country, but it's also not my job to be an emissary of an entire nation with non homogeneous views, and explain it to other people. I've literally been asked WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SCHOOL SHOOTINGS at the grocery store.
I told that person I fucking love school shootings & me & my friends have a secret high five we call the sandy hook.
Should white people pay reperations?
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I agree, and I'm sorry if I misread your comment. Having lived in both countries, I just saw the similarity in the public's reception of the notion of a population seeking reperations from a historical event they're basically removed from in chronological sense. The current population is generations out, and a lot of the blatant outright issues have been fixed, but there are obviously still problems that need to be dealt with.
What I meant is the idea of people seeking reperations for damage done generations before their birth. Not an American thing. Not a black people thing.
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SwickDinging
3 years ago
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Ah, I see. To be honest I was just being flippant in my wording because the OP is clearly just stirring up shit for a laugh.
That being said, I don't really agree with reparations on a personal level. For example - my great grandma's sister owned your great uncle's wife as a slave, therefore I should give you $10,000 because it's my fault, and once you have that money the issue can be put to rest. That kind of system is totally fucking stupid. However I believe that governments and monarchys absolutely should remember their history and consider these things. For example, I do not disagree that indigenous people should keep the reservations that they were given. I don't disagree that they should change the date of Australia Day. I think a lot more should be done in Australia to try and repair this damage. I confidently assume the same can be said for indigenous Americans, but I can't really speak with any authority on it because I haven't been there and don't know enough about it.
I think trying to put the blame on individual people is where it falls apart. It becomes needlessly complex and futile. Most people these days have mixed heritage and it's quite rare that you can really pin someone down as being purely one race/nationality, especially when you consider how borders have changed throughout history. Every person on the planet has some persecuted blood in them. Besides, even if you could pin down someone's ancestry to a "perpetrator" or whatever you would call them, it still seems totally unfair to blame that person in any way for the actions of a distant ancestor.
So I don't know where that leaves me. I suppose it just depends what is meant by reparations.
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CountessDouche
3 years ago
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Well...
"This"
Is now considered a shameful comment online because it contributes nothing, but I pretty much agree with everything you've said & you've said it very eloquently.
I think I misread your original comment. I don't believe in simple reperations. They're fundamentally useless, in my opinion. Foisting a handful of dollars at people doesn't solve systemic issues.
I just sort of have a problem with the pervasive attitude in America that people have been afforded the same basic rights... to vote, to own property, to get married...and that's enough. job well done...pack it up, boys, no need to do anything here.
People who view racism superficially are convinced that the problem has been solved. It obviously has not.
I don't think every back person should be handed a check. I absolutely do believe there are things that need repairing.
And also
THIS (no shame)
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SwickDinging
3 years ago
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People misunderstand my views on online forums so frequently that I can only assume that it's my own fault, rather than theirs. I tend to make sweeping statements and then not explain things fully. Perhaps it's laziness on my part.
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CountessDouche
3 years ago
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Nah, nah...you were pretty clear. You actually specifically said in your original comment that you were talking about the notion of individual people owing reperations, socially or otherwise. I just missed it because as an American living in australia, I constantly get to hear about certain issues being the fault of Americans, when there's this entire parallel of similar issues that are happening in Australia & has absolutely nothing to do with America.
It's just so fucking exhausting being constantly asked about it & confronted about it just because of my accent.
So triggered
I'm Karen
Well, "kazza" I guess
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SwickDinging
3 years ago
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One of my close friends here is American and I've noticed that she is really careful about certain things. She seems hyper aware of the American stereotypes and obviously bends over backwards to not be one.
She is such a lovely person, really would do anything for anyone, and she is religious but literally never mentions it, to the point where if someone ask her to meet on Sunday morning she will just say "I have a hobby that I do so can't meet until 12".
I had only known her for 6 weeks when I had my first child and, totally unprompted, she came over with freshly made food and cleaned my bathroom. I didn't even realise she was doing it until she had almost finished. I told her she shouldn't have and she said "you don't have any family here, so someone needs to do these things". Then she went home and left me to sleep.
You honestly couldn't meet a nicer person and it's such a shame that she gets so much shit. I wasn't aware of how deeply embedded that awful American stereotype is until I met her. It follows her everywhere.
--
CountessDouche
3 years ago
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That's a really nice story & she sounds like a lovely friend. It doesn't have anything to do with being American though lol. American people are just people at the end of the day, just like the British, just like the Aussies. Some of them are fantastic, lovely friends. Some of them are fucking assholes.
I've personally made peace with being an American living abroad. I dislike the things that are associated with my country, but it's also not my job to be an emissary of an entire nation with non homogeneous views, and explain it to other people. I've literally been asked WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SCHOOL SHOOTINGS at the grocery store.
I told that person I fucking love school shootings & me & my friends have a secret high five we call the sandy hook.