I have not read the book, but I think the strongest argument against reparations is:
No one who receives reparations has ever been a slave, and no one who pays the reparation has ever owned a slave. That should end the discussion there.
You could argue that pre-colonial Africa was on a path toward industrialization. I don’t support reparations; I favor free markets. However, presenting this argument shouldn’t imply that Europeans did no wrong. They did. The fact that others have committed wrongs doesn’t absolve anyone of responsibility for their actions.
Africa was not frozen in time before European contact. It was already on a path to industrialization with thriving market economies. The subsequent deindustrialization and exploitation through slave labor significantly set Africa back.
Without European influence, I believe Africa could have industrialized independently. An industrial revolution requires a regional trade hub, competition, property rights, and sufficient time. The process works as follows: governments collect revenue and reinvest it into infrastructure. This enables the private sector to grow, generating more taxes, which governments then use for roads and larger societal projects. Over two to three centuries, this cycle can transform a society into one radically different from its starting point. I find it hard to believe Africa couldn’t have achieved this on its own.
Here’s a revised version of your text with improved grammar, clarity, and flow while preserving your original intent and tone:
It’s one thing to argue that the past actions of ancestors shouldn’t dictate today’s judgments since those ancestors are long gone. However, it’s another thing entirely to whitewash history, which the author seems to attempt by saying, “Other empires did bad things, so let’s ignore European issues.” Why dismiss the specific impact of European actions?
The British Empire’s role in slavery was a horrific stain on humanity, particularly for third-world countries. That said, it’s not about blaming all white people today. But let’s stop pretending white Europeans were angels—they weren’t. For example, human zoos in America displayed Africans as if they were gorillas, rooted in pseudoscientific beliefs that African skulls were closer to apes than humans. This was taught as fact.
While it’s true that other systems, like the Arab slave trade, existed, they didn’t create racial hierarchies in the same way Europeans did. Humanity has always noted physical differences, but the concept of racial inferiority based on pseudoscience was a European invention. You can acknowledge these wrongs without justifying modern reparations. Additionally, the claim that the British Empire “ended” slavery ignores the broader context: industrialization and capitalism were already making slavery obsolete globally. The world was moving on, with or without British intervention.
Considering that the descendants of slaves living in the UK or US are doing an order of magnitude better (in terms of wealth and living conditions) than the ancestors of those who were left behind and never enslaved, how does one tabulate reparations in a way in which doesn’t lead to a negative number?
IOW, how much do African Americans owe non-blacks for the privilege of living here?
I am being facetious. But it does go to show how inane reparations are.
African Americans are benefiting from the privilege of living in the United States. Living in America is reparations. These are the points that people should make. Black Americans have a spending power of over 2 trillion because they live in America. Black Americans have never been net contributors to America.
You're correct that it's capitalism, not "the West" per se, as there are wealthy non-Western countries. That said, I dislike how this is framed, as if colonialism was somehow beneficial for ethnic minorities. For white people, maybe, but for non-whites? No. We gained no real benefits. If we did, why did Europeans have to gaslight us into pretending we wanted it? Why didn they oppose African or Indian independence movements? It's absurd.
I'm not blaming modern third-world conditions solely on Europe. I attribute much of it to bad economic policies. However, those policies often emerged because capitalism was equated with exploitation, largely due to colonial legacies. The two aren't the same. At the time, the Soviet model was spreading, and many third-world countries adopted it, contributing to their poverty. But let's not pretend Europeans had no role in this. Their influence was indirect but significant. People lacked education, so how could they be expected to understand complex economic systems?
I'm more for free markets and technocracy and embryo selection but you can't use it currently on non white races because the data isn't there it could be there but it isn't there
"Reparations are not about justice but about delegitimising Western civilisation."
Absolutely so.
"The key event, he argues, was the death of George Floyd in 2020, which triggered a wave of Black Lives Matter protests that quickly spread to Britain."
The US is engaged in" reparations "on a daily basis with an average black American costing their economy $900k over a lifetime. While their largest POC- people of colour cohort- Hispanics cost 700k per capita.
With the Daily Mails agenda inspiring the McPherson report which made" institutional racism "accusations automatically accepted by society effectively bringing crt-critical race theory to the UK more than 25 years ago.
Nobless oblige', White Guilt, whatever term you choose, it's all a worthless exercize in mass
kleptomania.
Not even the sun-crazy, pot-addled Leftists in Calif are buying into reparations.
Even if we accepted the economic equation supporting the idea, we would have to figure in free food, clothing and shelter, not to mention gratuitous but valuable training in agricultural practices, including crop management and animal husbandry, They'd probably owe us.
What is capital if not the accumulated crime and sacrifice of centuries, plus interest?
The miracle of capitalism is that it has redeemed the past by turning evil into good. This was very much a Christian project: https://shorturl.at/FDHlg
I have not read the book, but I think the strongest argument against reparations is:
No one who receives reparations has ever been a slave, and no one who pays the reparation has ever owned a slave. That should end the discussion there.
The descendants of slaves have done better in the West. So there should be no reparations
This fact - and it is a fact, as indicated by lifespan, quality of life and per capita income - should end the discussion immediately.
You could argue that pre-colonial Africa was on a path toward industrialization. I don’t support reparations; I favor free markets. However, presenting this argument shouldn’t imply that Europeans did no wrong. They did. The fact that others have committed wrongs doesn’t absolve anyone of responsibility for their actions.
Africa was not frozen in time before European contact. It was already on a path to industrialization with thriving market economies. The subsequent deindustrialization and exploitation through slave labor significantly set Africa back.
Without European influence, I believe Africa could have industrialized independently. An industrial revolution requires a regional trade hub, competition, property rights, and sufficient time. The process works as follows: governments collect revenue and reinvest it into infrastructure. This enables the private sector to grow, generating more taxes, which governments then use for roads and larger societal projects. Over two to three centuries, this cycle can transform a society into one radically different from its starting point. I find it hard to believe Africa couldn’t have achieved this on its own.
https://daneshyari.com/article/preview/5112953.pdf
Here’s a revised version of your text with improved grammar, clarity, and flow while preserving your original intent and tone:
It’s one thing to argue that the past actions of ancestors shouldn’t dictate today’s judgments since those ancestors are long gone. However, it’s another thing entirely to whitewash history, which the author seems to attempt by saying, “Other empires did bad things, so let’s ignore European issues.” Why dismiss the specific impact of European actions?
The British Empire’s role in slavery was a horrific stain on humanity, particularly for third-world countries. That said, it’s not about blaming all white people today. But let’s stop pretending white Europeans were angels—they weren’t. For example, human zoos in America displayed Africans as if they were gorillas, rooted in pseudoscientific beliefs that African skulls were closer to apes than humans. This was taught as fact.
While it’s true that other systems, like the Arab slave trade, existed, they didn’t create racial hierarchies in the same way Europeans did. Humanity has always noted physical differences, but the concept of racial inferiority based on pseudoscience was a European invention. You can acknowledge these wrongs without justifying modern reparations. Additionally, the claim that the British Empire “ended” slavery ignores the broader context: industrialization and capitalism were already making slavery obsolete globally. The world was moving on, with or without British intervention.
I think that you replied to the wrong comment. It does not respond to what I actually wrote.
I never mentioned the British or the Europeans…
Oh apologies
Excellent review Lipton , thank you.
Considering that the descendants of slaves living in the UK or US are doing an order of magnitude better (in terms of wealth and living conditions) than the ancestors of those who were left behind and never enslaved, how does one tabulate reparations in a way in which doesn’t lead to a negative number?
IOW, how much do African Americans owe non-blacks for the privilege of living here?
I am being facetious. But it does go to show how inane reparations are.
African Americans are benefiting from the privilege of living in the United States. Living in America is reparations. These are the points that people should make. Black Americans have a spending power of over 2 trillion because they live in America. Black Americans have never been net contributors to America.
I believe they have contributed tremendous value and gained tremendous benefits.
You're correct that it's capitalism, not "the West" per se, as there are wealthy non-Western countries. That said, I dislike how this is framed, as if colonialism was somehow beneficial for ethnic minorities. For white people, maybe, but for non-whites? No. We gained no real benefits. If we did, why did Europeans have to gaslight us into pretending we wanted it? Why didn they oppose African or Indian independence movements? It's absurd.
I'm not blaming modern third-world conditions solely on Europe. I attribute much of it to bad economic policies. However, those policies often emerged because capitalism was equated with exploitation, largely due to colonial legacies. The two aren't the same. At the time, the Soviet model was spreading, and many third-world countries adopted it, contributing to their poverty. But let's not pretend Europeans had no role in this. Their influence was indirect but significant. People lacked education, so how could they be expected to understand complex economic systems?
I'm more for free markets and technocracy and embryo selection but you can't use it currently on non white races because the data isn't there it could be there but it isn't there
Great article, thanks.
"Reparations are not about justice but about delegitimising Western civilisation."
Absolutely so.
"The key event, he argues, was the death of George Floyd in 2020, which triggered a wave of Black Lives Matter protests that quickly spread to Britain."
They were riots, not protests.
Absolutely true but to this day has been legitimized by those who want to be recipients of free money.
The US is engaged in" reparations "on a daily basis with an average black American costing their economy $900k over a lifetime. While their largest POC- people of colour cohort- Hispanics cost 700k per capita.
With the Daily Mails agenda inspiring the McPherson report which made" institutional racism "accusations automatically accepted by society effectively bringing crt-critical race theory to the UK more than 25 years ago.
Nobless oblige', White Guilt, whatever term you choose, it's all a worthless exercize in mass
kleptomania.
Not even the sun-crazy, pot-addled Leftists in Calif are buying into reparations.
Even if we accepted the economic equation supporting the idea, we would have to figure in free food, clothing and shelter, not to mention gratuitous but valuable training in agricultural practices, including crop management and animal husbandry, They'd probably owe us.
Sorry to see it's not coming out in paperback - I'd donate a copy to my public library. It should be shelved next to The 1619 Project.
Was indentured servitude really bondage? I thought it was a contractual obligation, voluntarily entered into.
What is capital if not the accumulated crime and sacrifice of centuries, plus interest?
The miracle of capitalism is that it has redeemed the past by turning evil into good. This was very much a Christian project: https://shorturl.at/FDHlg