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?

I don’t disagree! However I wouldn’t give you cash. I would break up the inherited stolen wealth from the aristocracy and distribute it, and safeguard future hoarding of wealth

Some of the biggest issues in the UK relating to (recent) generational poverty and disadvantages came about as a result of the privatisation of infrastructure, closure of the mines (ultimately a good thing for the environment although devastating for communities), closure of steelworks, docks and other heavy manufacturing industry. You could go after the descendents of Maggie Thatcher and the Tories in the 1970s and 1980s if you wish on that one.

Additionally, the lack of investment in existing communities (demolition of housing and building of new towns which gave people houses with indoor plumbing and gardens instead of slum tenements and terraces but often destroyed existing community networks and moved people away from employment) and focus on reducing the public sector didn't help matters.

But hey, that's capitalism for you. I don't think demanding money from rich folk will change endemic and embedded imbalance. Unless we go full throttle communism and that... doesn't necessarily have the best track record for success.

Anyway, hunners of years ago the majority of the population were in the same boat. If everyone got cash now we would most likely end up with £8.50 and some of those rich people would pay themselves because they would have come from poor backgrounds too.

I can’t tell if this is meant to be a wind up.
my family line is also full of labourers - quite a lot of families ancestors are full of them.

We live in a time where our lives are by far improved than those of our ancestors. You should count yourself lucky.

I'm sure these people would be delighted to chat through some options with you.

Ok that's the majority of the world population then.. who is going to cough up. Absolute pipe dream.

We don’t demand money, we demand control of the assets gained from our labour 😁

So your ancestors worked very hard for very little money, and now you want to profit off them rather than working very hard to earn a good amount of money for yourself instead.

Such people do get support, via the welfare system.

Also.. blame your ancestors.. years ago you could form a group, storm a castle and take over as king. If your ancestors did not do this and now you are not part of the generational elite.. blame them. Lazy bastards.

You’re only done well for a poor person though, not objectively well

Imagine what you could’ve done if the monarch had given your ancestor half of London 300 years ago.

I am off to claim 3 sheep and a small part of a now defunct shipyard (and possibly a singer sewing machine too) Not sure what i will do with these items other than revel in the reflected glory of the workers.

My dad was a Japanese POW whose untreated PTSD made mine and my siblings' childhoods hell. None of these men were compenstated for their suffering. Do you think we should get some money as we have all had mental health issues? Intergenerational trauma is a real thing

You don’t get anything. The Britain public do 😁 go and take it under public ownership so we all benefit

My great grandfather died during WW1 and my Grandfather was injured during WW2. My great grandmother had to work 2 jobs to support her family. My grandmother also during the war.
Looking at my DNA, my family would of suffered when the Romans and vikingds invaded, then made to be Norman's in 1066.

I must be owed £1000s for hardship they endured.

Well now wealthy land owners pay massive taxes and we have the welfare state paid for by such taxes. So presumably the money is somehow being clawed back in a roundabout way. Don't think it can go to specific people because nearly everyone in history has been exploited one way or another by a minority of very wealthy individuals.

It's a bit different to slavery where whole communities were forcibly and brutally relocated across contitnents and treated sub-humanely, in many cases raped, bred like cattle and murdered, and forced to work for free and then, even when emancipated, discriminated against extensively leading to a profound societal disadvantage (in pretty much every way) for generations proceeding them.

One of my ancestors was eaten by a sabre toothed tiger back in the ice age, surely I can claim for that?!

You are being ridiculous. I suspect that you know this and that really this is some goady post trying to attack those people and countries asking about compensation for slavery.

That debate aside, which is complex, looking back and blaming your woes on things that happened before you is never helpful. There are few things you can control, but your own potential is one of them.

Besides, if you go back far enough in anyone’s family tree we will all have been related to the desperately poor and most probably too could trace some strand back to royalty. Isn’t everyone in Europe supposed to be related to Charlemagne? It’s a bit like that nonsense argument the take England back for the English lot spout. One of the (many, many) problems being with their nonsense that they never really quantify what they mean by the English? Normans? (French/viking) Saxons? (germanic) Iron Age? (Roman) Celt? (Turkish/Afghan) Stone Age man? (African)

We come from a vast and wonderful assortment of backgrounds, they interweave and everyone’s stories are extraordinary. It should be celebrated. But we can only affect our own futures. Don’t look back in anger, look forward in hope.

Aaaaah. Like him from The Beautiful South offering to nationalise his songs!

Together, comrade, we can restart the sheep -> wool -> sewing into cape -> export industry again!

(I am being tongue in cheek. I do support renationalisation of some public services and infrastructure such as water and rail. Not sure full scale nationalisation of everything ever will be a roaring success though...)

How do you know wealthy land owners pay massive taxes?

I wish I had enough time in a day to do such ridiculous navel gazing.

My ancestors were Hugenots who fled France in the 17th century. I'll just bob off to the French Government and ask for some reparations, shall I?

My dad was a coal miner. So was my first boyfriend. I think I am ahead of you in the queue!

I think about 90% of the population would have been labourers of some sort 200 years ago… so I think the playing field is pretty level in that regard? There are still many other inequalities in our society though, which I absolutely support being addressed.

🤣

That’s not true.

DH is disadvantaged by being from a family with poor ancestry and doesn’t get any benefits.

He doesn’t even get a tax-free personal allowance or child benefit.

Who is this directed at?