Without understanding the history of slavery and colonialism, we cannot understand the extent to which societies today are shaped by systemic racism, unfair distribution of assets, inequality and violence – and how all of these have led to despair, marginalisation and disenfranchisement in parts of the population.
Reperations for the descendants of slaves seem warranted but what about black people who were not direct descendent s of slaves but still had disadvantages because of past and present racist laws?
Edit: spelling
Restorative justice, which recognises the role of marginalised groups, is key to enabling people to lead decent and dignified lives. A post-reparations world might acknowledge the complexity of the colonial past in its entirety, including the damage caused by racial hierarchy; it would not be afraid to discuss the ways in which race and ethnicity, class, gender, religion, ableism and age intersect.
I guess “restorative justice” has this broader meaning you’re suggesting exactly because it “might acknowledge the complexity of the colonial past in its entirety”. It’s not just about to pay descendants of slaves a certain amount of money but rather a more holistic approach how we view and live in our society, and therefore it goes far beyond former slavery and race issues and include also gender, age, etc. But that’s just my interpretation.
I like this. If done right, I’m sure it would be complex and almost impossible to not miss someone. But doing nothing seems worse.
Yes, it’s extremely complex but necessary. A lot of decisions in our societies and economies have been influenced by implicit biases based on race, gender, age, etc. which hurt those discriminated against. And with the upcoming rise of artificial intelligence these biases will creep also into the algorithms.
I also wonder if a higher and stricter but still progressive inheritance tax would be one of the simplest ways to slow down wealth inequality over time. Will take several generations.
Had conversation with a friend who will inherit a farm about this. He brought up the “If I had to pay 60% tax on inheriting the farm I’d have to sell it” argument. I pointed out that you could easily get a mortgage on the farm to pay the 60% tax and it’s more like you’re getting a farm you did nothing to earn for a 40% discount.
