Article Summary
This article discusses H.R. 40, a bill that calls for the establishment of a Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. The author argues that reparations are not the solution and that it is not logical for Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) to argue that they have been adversely affected by the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The author criticizes the concept of reparations, stating that it has not improved the lives of African Americans in the past 50 years. The article includes a picture of Ayanna Pressley with the source credited to Wikimedia Commons.
What This Means for You
- Be aware that reparations for African Americans are being discussed in Congress.
- Understand that the argument for reparations is based on the idea that the trans-Atlantic slave trade had a negative impact on the ancestors of African Americans alive today, which is illogical.
- Recognize that the concept of reparations has been around for a long time, and it has not improved the lives of African Americans.
- Consider the potential implications if reparations become a reality.
Original Post
I came across this legislative jewel from our friends Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). H.R. 40 is a bill that calls for the establishment of a Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. It is the authors’ stated aims to determine “what forms of satisfaction, in addition to apology, should be implemented in an effort toward return of dignity and racial healing, and reconciliation.”
I don’t mean to be glib, but shouldn’t Pressley and Cory be thanking my ancestors for transporting their ancestors to America? They owe their very existence to the improbable event that their ancestors met and procreated. For Pressley and Cory, how would it have been better that the trans-Atlantic slave trade never existed? After listening to Pressley and Cory lecture us, we might agree that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was a bad idea, but unless the nullification of their existence is their aim, logically, they would not. Some may say that me arguing that Pressley and Cory had benefited in any way from the institution of slavery is pure sophistry, but I don’t think so. If Pressley and Cory are so intent on “peeling the onion” of history for its deeper meaning, they should not skip over the most obvious inference.
However, Pressley and Cory don’t think that way. They grew up in an America where they have felt entitled to the best education, the best job opportunities, the best iPhone, etc., etc. They are part of a princely class that guilt-sodden white liberals have cultivated. So, it doesn’t surprise me that they would feel themselves entitled to an apology along with a nice fat check. Pressley and Cory are just the latest incarnation of a long line of grifters that have profited from generating race animosity. They are no different than their predecessors, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.
A half century of “racial healing” has done nothing to improve the lot of anyone but the princely class to which Pressley and Cory belong. I should also include as beneficiaries those white ladies who contrive to show so much concern for the black underclass while sipping their latte at Starbucks. It’s a luxury that they can afford so I would suggest that they be the ones to pay for H.R. 40.
Key Terms
- Reparations
- H.R. 40
- Trans-Atlantic slave trade
- African Americans
- Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
- Senator Cory Booker
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