AIBU to think I should get reparations?

[PositiveEngine]

I’m from a working class background. My ancestors, going back 200 years, were also working class people and before that, agricultural labourers. They weren’t slaves, but they were engaged in backbreaking manual work, for very little pay, housed in what were effectively slums, to make capitalists rich. They had no practical way out of that life and the impacts are still felt; I’ve done alright for myself, but the biggest determinant of where someone ends up in life remains where they started.

AIBU to think some reparations would level the playing field a bit?

You misunderstand, it’s anyone whose long dead ancestors were oppressed.

It’s analogous to (for example) a wealthy and successful lawyer in London getting reparations for their long-gone ancestor being enslaved.

Obviously being a serf is less bad than being a slave, so the amounts should be lower.

I have done.

But if you start off wealthy you need to work less hard to better yourself than someone who wasn’t born wealthy. I’m sure you’d agree?

Is this rage bait? 99% of the population will have come from lowly and poor backgrounds somewhere through the last century or two. It’s the unfairness of life. Luckily nowadays we all pretty much have the same choices and not constrained by socioeconomic backgrounds. Admittedly, we all can’t afford to go to Eton, but we can all get access to a decent education and graft our way out of poverty if we choose to. How about you do that?

It's still shit for most of the population.The richest 10% own 43% of the wealth, the poorest 50% own 9%.

Yeah same, and I get where you're coming from. Generational wealth is so important. So my self and my partner are working to bring our children up and will raise them to know how important it is that they do the same. We are trying to build generational wealth for the next generations. We'll see how it goes 🤷

I think it’s very fair. I’m from a family of judges and lawyers whereas DH comes from a working class family. I shall transfer to him £50,000 to apologise and make up for his ancestral suffering.

It’s the least I can do

Fucking ridiculous suggestion OP 😂

but the biggest determinant of where someone ends up in life remains where they started.

I too have done alright for myself precisely because I did not want to live the kind of life my parents and grandparents lived.

My ancestors include people on both sides of the exploitation coin. I shall have to pay myself some money.

Key phrase is “they weren’t slaves”

Alternative employment was.....?

people were just glad to be employed in whatever job they could find.
Indoor jobs were easier than outdoor jobs especially in the winter.

Children started work younger, because education finished earlier for the vast majority.

there were jobs in industry ( Dangerous? yup) which only younger , smaller people could do- it wasnt explotation,it was just the way it was.

My fathers sisters all went into service- waiting on and clearing up behind the richer folks- none of them faired too badly

😂😂😂😂😂

I mean, by all means let the unfairness of it consume your thoughts.

But unless you're advocating for complete removal of capitalism, and going to also try and make changes there, then you're on a hiding to nothing.

You're not owed money because you didn't get the leg up richer people have.

So pretty much anyone except the RF and the members of the House of Lords with inherited titles? I'm in.

I assume the OP is engaging in some sort of devil’s advocacy re reparations in general.

Well…arguably most women have been in a position similar to slavery (or worse) for quite a lot of human history (and some still are) so maybe mankind should be paying reparations to womankind?

(fgs no one take that seriously!)

Is this serious? Sorry if you're joking, I'm quite tired and can't tell.

All that comes to mind is something my lovely mother in law says- "Catch yourself on!"

No, is my answer if you were being serious.

This is a really interesting question. Those whose knee-jerk response is to become apoplectic at the thought should stop and engage their brains for a moment at the issue the OP has raised. Especially if you worship the royal family or other extraordinarily wealthy families who still reap the benefit of serf labour from centuries ago today. I’m sure the OP is not seriously going to claim reparations, and as others have said, reparations would come out of current tax revenue. So we workers would be shafted once again (because of course the wealthy understand only too well how to shield their money from the tax man)

OP I assume the point you’re making is that it could be argued that if the UK government pay reparations to countries they historically abused, then maybe they should pay reparations to UK nationals whose ancestors were also mistreated by the powerful people at the time. Is that correct? I agree that the concept of historical liability is interesting and worthy of a debate.

A previous poster says that the crucial difference is that people in the UK weren't slaves, but I would argue that to all intents and purposes they often almost were. In a time of no sick pay, no holiday pay, and no welfare state, employers could do whatever they wanted, and the workers had no choice but to acquiesce. It was that or starve.

I totally understand the arguments for reparations where slavery is concerned.

But my Grandad was a coal miner and it has never occurred to me that because of this someone owes me money!

I have to work to make a living. It’s soooooo unfair!! Maybe the Royal Family should subsidise my wages so I can be a lady of leisure too.

You’re serious????? Seriously… FFS! Everyone should be getting repatriation money for some reason then…. Let’s make this country even more bankrupt and screwed than what it is now. I despair…..

I think I'm due reparations. I started working on Saturdays when I was still at school. I worked in an ice cream shop and I was only paid £1.50 for an afternoon's work. It was a long time ago but not 200 years. Can we work together OP @PositiveEngine

Do a couple of weeks slavery for him and get reparations money back.

Depends on the family but census and parish records often list where people are and what jobs they have.

I only know my family to about mid 1850s at most - they were working poor - some migrant agricultral workers - you can track them moving up and down with kids cenus and marriages, welsh weavers - illegitimate birth and odd recording - father married to someone else and mum not appearing in any other records before or since and boy bing raise by another family entirely make it harder to go back. Rest were miners, quarry men, canal and railway workers and domestics.

Part of DH family is from Irland coming over with potatoe famine and can't be traced back as records in Ireland were lost. Other parts can be traced back with parish record to 1400 in roughly same area - and with that line there are people dying in work houses when they came in.

Both our families had illegimate kids in them but wider family seem to have raillied round - informal adoptions and living with wider family - family using middle names and records formal can mean tracking is very hard - easier where surnames are less common.

70% of land in the UK is owned by just 1% of the population. Much of this elite, generational ownership traces its roots back to the Norman Conquest of 1066 when William the Conqueror seized the country and granted it to his loyal barons.

Most of my family taken advantage when they could of any social moblity around - I think it is worrying that social moblity is on the decline.

Do you think most people now aren’t being “exploited to make others rich” ?

One of my ancestors, in the 13th century, was landed gentry, so I assume was one of the oppressors and I should be paying reparations. Except my great grandfather was a fisherman, my grandma in service and my grandad a tin miner. We’ve not exactly continued to benefit from our lofty status!