Zebra-skinned America

The other day I came across a very interesting and difficult subject. My first instinct was …avoid it. My second thought was… does avoiding controversial issues help? I don’t think so. I think it’s just a form of procrastination; to just put an issue off until someone pressures you to do something about it.
The idea of reparations for black-Americans (descendents of slaves) is interesting because on one hand you have people saying “why should the US government use the taxes of people who never owned slaves to repay the blacks who were never even in slavery?” and then on the other hand black-Americans saying “Why shouldn’t the US government give money to ancestors of slaves for not only a government supported wrongdoing, but also because they have been enduring hardships of racism and poverty ever since they were freed?”
I can see both sides… but I only agree with one.
If there were any slaves alive in the US today I would say, “Here, have some money for the tragic, unjustified act of crime that was committed against you”. I would have no problem with that, but there are none.
I understand that black-Americans have not had an easy time in this country, but that is not a reason to hand them money. There are little white boys and little white girls born into tough situations like poverty and violence everyday; none of us know the underlying situations that got them there, but we don’t give them money. We give them sympathy. It seems to me that a price tag cannot be put on sympathy, and the idea of money doesn’t cut it. I am sympathetic toward the deceased slaves and their struggles; I believe that is all I owe them.
Let’s be honest for a second.
If black-America wants their ancestors to get what they are due, then they must give them respect. Receiving money “for them” is not giving respect. Respecting them would include the realization that their ancestors didn’t go through that tough time for nothing. Whether they knew it at the time or not, they did it so that their descendents could live in the great country of the United States; where they are free to do the same things every other US citizen can do. They are free to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness just like the rest of us.
Besides, if it weren’t for the slaves, black-Americans would still be Africans. Stop whining, it could be worse.