I don’t think it’s all that controversial - the middle class generally has declined, the black middle class included. And that’s my point - there are many factors impacting standards of living, wealth gaps, etc., even as race-relations have been improving.[quote=“EyeDentist, post:1403, topic:228119”]
Who is claiming that it is “driven by racial animus”?
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Reparations supporters? Isn’t that the point of reparations?[quote=“EyeDentist, post:1403, topic:228119”]
The notion of a class-action lawsuit was metaphorical. Reparations would not be adjudicated in that manner, so the standards you mention would not apply.
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No, not in the technical sense, which is why I made reference to class-action “principles” - but importantly, those standards are not there simply for the sake of being there, they are there to reinforce certain elements of fairness due if people are at risk of being liable for something. And I think those principles certainly apply to any consideration of reparations.[quote=“EyeDentist, post:1403, topic:228119”]
Respectfully, if you were the one who was suffering (along with your children) economic hardship because of the wealth gap, I don’t think you’d dismiss the value of reparations on the grounds that ‘it wouldn’t make people discriminate less.’
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That may be so, but reparations are part of public policy, and as such we need to consider what the best solution is for the public problems we face. What is the value in making a number of people happy with a cash payment if it inflames racial discord and resentment and sets the country back in terms of race relations? We should cut off our noses off to spite our face?
I have no doubt a great many, if not all, black Americans would like both the money and what it symbolizes - a formal apology backed by something other than words. I get that. But the cost is higher than the benefit.
When it comes to race in America and public policy, I always start (and end) with the fundamental question: will the policy tend to move America closer to a colorblind, discrimination-free country? If the answer is No, or Probably Not, I don’t think we should entertain it.
I think reparations is a No. I think it makes things worse, and instead of promoting healing and better understanding, it promotes division, reignited blame, and re-opens a bunch of wounds that have already healed. We’ve made tremendous progress on race, and reparations would undermine that progress with new and fresh rounds of racial mistrust.