This relates to the BBC article [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66596790] which states “the UK should pay $24tn (£18.8tn) for its slavery involvement in 14 countries”.

The UK abolished slavery in 1833. That’s 190 years ago. So nobody alive today has a slave, and nobody alive today was a slave.

Dividing £18tn by the number of UK taxpayers (31.6m) gives £569 each. Why do I, who have never owned a slave, have to give £569 to someone who similarly is not a slave?

When I’ve paid my £569 is that the end of the matter forever or will it just open the floodgates of other similar claims?

Isn’t this just a country that isn’t doing too well, looking at the UK doing reasonably well (cost of living crisis excluded of course), and saying “oh there’s this historical thing that affects nobody alive today but you still have to give us trillions of Sterling”?

Shouldn’t payment of reparations be limited to those who still benefit from the slave trade today, and paid to those who still suffer from it?

(Please don’t flame me. This is NSQ. I genuinely don’t know why this is something I should have to pay. I agree slavery is terrible and condemn it in all its forms, and we were right to abolish it.)

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
      11·
      1 year ago

      Thanks,I’ll take a look. I had the same question, plus none of my ancestors were in the US when this happened and I have no idea what participation the country we came from may have had. At the risk of sounding like “all lives matter”, is it not our ethical duty to fight inequity, injustice, any loss of human rights? Slavery and all that went within it might be one of the causes, but that can’t be undo me nor does it directly affect anyone alive today. what people today are affected by is inequity and injustice. Shouldn’t we focus on what our society is responsible for, what we can change, what directly affects or is caused by people alive today?

      • Natanael@slrpnk.net
        51·
        1 year ago

        At that point we should still be funding development in those nations, like for infrastructure and education, etc

      • Huxleywaswrite@lemmy.worldEnglish
        52·
        1 year ago

        It effects tons of people, yourself included, in ways you have apparently never stopped to consider. I don’t say this to be shitty, but I’ll be direct about it.

        Your ancestors came here, as a privileged class, and built generation wealth in their family because others were denied it. Go ahead and accept that. It doesn’t make you a shitty person, mine did too, mine never amounted to anything but poor, white trash, but even they had benefits from becoming established in this country, at that time. So did yours.

        The government hugely benefited from it and should be held responsible for that. Taxes come from us, the circle continues.

        If you’re going to take issue with it, and not be a shitty person, realistically we can’t pay enough to replace what was denied them. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t find some nominal amount, but your right, we should also look for ways to try and fix what we can’t be replaced.

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
          11·
          1 year ago

          Your ancestors came here, as a privileged class

          According to family legend, the first to immigrate was fleeing wars around the time of Bismarck. He arrived in new York as a teenager: penniless, illiterate, and not knowing anyone. He worked for years as a farm laborer before being able to buy his own land and bring over his family

          • Huxleywaswrite@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            1 year ago

            First of all, anything that starts “according to legend” is typically not presented as fact.

            More importantly though, your family arrived here white, after systems influenced by white supremacy had established a privileged system in their favor. He arrived with absolutely nothing, and in one generation he was able to afford to buy land and move his family here after him. Do you know why he was able to do that? I’ll give you a hint, people of color couldn’t. What your family were allowed to do as immigrants, was possible because people who came from families of slaves were not allowed to.

            I told you the first time, my family was poor white trash too, amd we benefited from it. So did yours.

            Kind of telling that you didn’t want to respond to anything else I said, just try to prove that you’re family had it worse.