Can meaningful reparations be made for slavery in the US?

[Tinkerbell456]

Let me start by saying that, obviously, slavery is abhorrent. The idea that anyone can own someone else is disgusting. There is a suggestion afoot that dependents of slaves should be compensated. I just don’t see how compensating African Americans for slavery is meaningful. Of course, there should be acknowledgement of the suffering caused. However, compensating living African Americans for it really achieves nothing, in my view. The idea that living people have to take responsibility for the actions of their ancestors is rather strange to me. Actions that living ancestors did not do and would never condone. Absolutely, condemn long ago injustices. However, use them as a learning experience in how not to repeat such terrible acts.

The point is that, unfortunately, many many nations profited from slavery through the centuries and still do today.

So who should pay?

And why should the slaves sent from Africa to the US be the only ones that are compensated? Why not the African slaves sent to Haiti at the same time?
Why shouldn't the African nations that profited from the trade pay as well?

Let's say it's "fair" to only pay the descendants of slaves brought to the US
Should the individual descendants of the plantations pay?
Should the government just magic up money? And pay every known descendant of a slave?
There were around 10 million slaves sent the the Americas.
So let's assume there's 20 million living descendants. And we can find them all.
How much money will "make it better"?
$1000? Each?
That's $20 billion.
But $1000 isn't enough?

It do the US send money to African nations by way of apology? How much? They send aid already.

It's not clear cut.

Quite frankly compensating people for something that happened to their ancestors entirely legally 200 odd years ago is ridiculous. Where does it stop? Can we get compensation if one of our ancestors was left stuck up a chimney to die working as a child for a chimney sweep, or they were crushed by the machinery in a mill or died of a horrible lung disease after being forced down mines as a very young child? What if one of my ancestors was press ganged? Made to sail with no say in the matter? What if an ancestor was burned to death for heresy or religious based treason? Can I claim religious persecution on their behalf? What if I can find out my ancestors were attacked by vikings, had all their belongings taken? What if the Romans dragged my ancestor off and they died being eaten by lions for entertainment?

Yes we have to learn from ALL of our history, but to truly reap the benefits of this hindsight we need to stop living in the past. surely that’s the best compensation.

Spend the money on things affecting people today. Improve education for those who might currently be excluded, stop slavery in that is still happening today, help the child soldiers being forced to kill other people in Africa and Asia. Those things are within our grasp and will actually make a difference to living people

Exactly Lifeover.

Germany paid millions to Israel.
South Africa paid to victims of the Apartheid.
America paid Japan for the war camps.
Obama paid to holocaust survivors.

For things that happened within living memory, to survivors.

Very, very different to everyone paying everyone else, somewhere and everywhere for something that happened hundreds of years ago, thousand of years ago if you want to be wholly equitable!

It isn't racism. Slaves have been from all nationalities, as have slavers. It is about the reality of the notion.

Surely the best idea is that all nations involved pay forward in trade and other support.

So instead of looking at compensation look at the EU farming policy that means much of arid Africa grows non indigenous plants, like green beans, to sell to richer countries, at a loss. Look at similarly aggressive policies in the USA and every other country in the world.