In the final accounting I have no criticism for anyone who takes reparations: it’s free money, take it, you’d be crazy not to! But what do we know about lottery winners, a lot of pro athletes… basically anyone who gets a lot of money over a short time but cannot, by definition, count on maintaining that income long term? Some of them use it wisely, invest and save, but a lot of them blow it and are back where they started in a few short years.
And you’re right, we already know what they’ll argue if a lot of reparation-recipients end up blowing the bag, because it’s the only argument they have: “WHITE SUPREMACY DID THIS!” We know because they blamed white supremacy for Derek Chauvin killing a black guy, Kyle Rittenhouse killing some white guys, and those black cops in Memphis for killing a black guy. It’s all they have, and because they know people are terrified of the next argument if they resist (“YOU’RE RACIST”), the grifters know most people won’t resist.
So I only advise the state to be smart about it. Hell, give them their goddamn reparations. But make them sign a standard legal settlement contract: we’ve decided to just give up and agree that your AnCeStrAl DeBt is a real thing that is real, and we’ve agreed on a dollar amount. BUT NOW WE’RE SQUARE. The debt you’ve been going on about is now paid. There is no more reparation money for you because there’s nothing left to repair. Basically, the state has to close all doors to what would otherwise be claims of “white supremacy caused us to blow our windfalls!” that WILL come ten years later if the state just hands them the money from a misplaced sense of “moral” duty and doesn’t protect itself, and would only be opening itself up to claims for another round of reparations and then another and another and another.
It'll never happen that way though. Even if you got them to sign a contract, the next election cycle you'd have Democrats saying it isn't enough, we need to do more, the contracts were misleading, etc.
In the final accounting I have no criticism for anyone who takes reparations: it’s free money, take it, you’d be crazy not to! But what do we know about lottery winners, a lot of pro athletes… basically anyone who gets a lot of money over a short time but cannot, by definition, count on maintaining that income long term? Some of them use it wisely, invest and save, but a lot of them blow it and are back where they started in a few short years.
And you’re right, we already know what they’ll argue if a lot of reparation-recipients end up blowing the bag, because it’s the only argument they have: “WHITE SUPREMACY DID THIS!” We know because they blamed white supremacy for Derek Chauvin killing a black guy, Kyle Rittenhouse killing some white guys, and those black cops in Memphis for killing a black guy. It’s all they have, and because they know people are terrified of the next argument if they resist (“YOU’RE RACIST”), the grifters know most people won’t resist.
So I only advise the state to be smart about it. Hell, give them their goddamn reparations. But make them sign a standard legal settlement contract: we’ve decided to just give up and agree that your AnCeStrAl DeBt is a real thing that is real, and we’ve agreed on a dollar amount. BUT NOW WE’RE SQUARE. The debt you’ve been going on about is now paid. There is no more reparation money for you because there’s nothing left to repair. Basically, the state has to close all doors to what would otherwise be claims of “white supremacy caused us to blow our windfalls!” that WILL come ten years later if the state just hands them the money from a misplaced sense of “moral” duty and doesn’t protect itself, and would only be opening itself up to claims for another round of reparations and then another and another and another.
It'll never happen that way though. Even if you got them to sign a contract, the next election cycle you'd have Democrats saying it isn't enough, we need to do more, the contracts were misleading, etc.
Sure, that makes sense, but what would they actually do?
Same as the First Nations: claim they were cheated by a white supremicist patriarchy and demand more.
Give them nothing and stomp the rioters into the dirt.