What Forms Should Reparations Take?
By J. Blaze Cruz
In my eyes and mind, I don’t believe any money they give will rectify the existing problems that started with slavery several hundred years ago and to this day affects us in many forms; oppression, abuse and miseducation etc…
Let us assume they give us money. Will that stop the present day abuse, racism, harassment and indifference they hold for us? No! The closest thing to reparations is giving us our own land so we could have our own identity back and our self determination.
Consider where the money they give us back will be coming from. The money they give us back will be the same money they are presently squeezing from the third world countries and their resources. That is Africa, South America and all the tiny islands. So while they appease us and buy us off to keep quiet, they’ll continue the plundering of our distant brothers and sisters.
Besides giving us our own lands, a better reparation is they stop plundering, interfering, invading & manipulating all the people of color in the 3rd world countries. If that were to occur, I would truly be happy and satisfied.
If they were to stop the world wide campaign to be owner and ruler of everything, through NATO, their New World order schemes, and unholy Euro-alliances, I would be happy and monetary reparation wouldn’t be needed because then all countries would be allowed to produce and consume their own productions. What occurs now-a-days is poor countries produce goods that is snatched away to the rich lands and the poor country starves. If they were to stop that, our people would then grow strong and unimpeded. But they don’t want a strong people of color, that is their worse nightmare.
They’ve done so much bad that now the people of color live and thrive in a never ending state of paranoia that crushes and oppresses. Does anyone in their right mind sincerely expect them to really say "sorry"? Will the cat ever apologize for eating the mouse? No! Never will they ever admit their wrong. Why?
To admit their wrong would actually mean they would have to rectify their ways: Stop oppressing, stop exploiting and see us as truly equal. They will never do that, because capitalism is involved. Money, they worship and the cat will never stop eating the mice until the mice grow big and bad as dogs!
Martin Luther King Jr put it like this: " Lamentably, it is a historical fact that the privileged group seldom gives up privileges voluntarily. An individual of their own might see the moral light, but as a group they will be immoral".
Did they just wake up and say "Oh, I’m sorry, slavery is bad, here’s your freedom"? No! We had to bleed and die for freedom. For freedom is present occurring with all people of color globally, which are the true reparations toward humanity.
We’ve given Israel hundreds of billions of $$ in aid. Amerika not only have them power, but also acknowledged them as partners/equals in the economic scheme of things. Israel is actually a sort of military outpost used to influence the neighboring oil producing lands. They are needed. They would loathe doing the same with people of color. They can, but they won’t. There’s too much old animosity – racism.
Don’t get me wrong, if they offer money as reparation to our people for all their slave labor and damages, by all means, we are to take it. But I feel it should not end there, not until the entire economic system is changed!
You said it correct. As a people, we are too peaceful. While that is good, a dead, enslaved, manipulated or frightened "peaceful man" is of no value to an oppressed people! That is our most beautiful characteristic. We’ve always been a spiritual and godly people to the point that we are naïve. The Taino Indians, the Incas, the Aztecs, etc., fell only by a handful of gold seeking filth bags. We allowed them to play the role of gods, and our own spirituality was our downfall. In the motherland Africa, it was no different "we all failed the test from day one", said Prince Za Kai "because we never saw slavery as a state of war and by accepting this circumscribed definition and trying to live up to it, a lot of anger developed and has caused a process of self hatred so subtle that we don’t even recognize it. Even as it consumes our very being"
You said you don’t want any hollow apologies. The truth is, you are one of the few, because great many would rather hear a hollow fake apology than to get up and struggle. A great many that just don’t care one way or another. Like many in the slave days, they became used to being ruled. The many years of oppression has drained them of any national self respect. They become satisfied with their degrees and economic security, and wouldn’t have a damn that blacks are shot 41 times in the street for nothing. That their people are being warehoused in the koncentration camps known as the Department of Deceptions, the Prison Industrial Complex.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said "we will not only have to repent for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.."
In the meantime and in-between time, what are we to do? No doubt accept the reparation and continue to struggle until there is a complete change in the capitalist system towards a socialist society where the workers enjoy the fruits of their labor, where food is produced, not for profit but per need per household. Right now, Africa has an AIDS crisis, and the capitalist make a profit. This does not occur under socialism. Yet, better than getting money, for money finishes, then our lands (for rulers of the land may still be capitalist) is to topple the capitalist system. This is done through time and education. For as Marx correctly stated in 1848, the capitalist "is like a sorcerer who is no longer able to control the powers of the netherworld that he has called up with his spells"> As you see, the poor are getting poorer. the rich richer and we are seeing more and more civil unrest, disobedience, more government repression of the masses, not just here but all over the world. Capitalism is creating their own deathbed. All we need to do is continue to educate and agitate.
Reparations of land and money are good, but will solve very little. Too many people spend their lifetime analyzing the problems and not seeking the solutions. The solution is started with a revolution of the mind. Amor de Rey!
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