Would Reparations Drain the Good Will Of White America?
A reader fears that would be the case:
Perhaps I am not familiar enough with the debate, but I rarely see anyone discuss what happens after reparations are made. Speaking as a white person, my experience tells me that, collectively, the quickest way for us to stop caring is to write a check. I don’t necessarily mean this literally, but simply the act of paying a price in exchange for something is a signal that it’s no longer an issue.
When it comes to issues of race, providing reparations would not and could not be the end of the discussion in this nation. Yet I strongly suspect that for the majority of the white population, the conversation would be over. When protests over some mistreatment were to occur post-reparations, it would not slowly win over voters, as is the case with Black Lives Matter. Instead, I think they would be met with unbridled rage. “We paid reparations! We did what you wanted, now any problems are your issue!”
Think about the Native Americans tribes of this country.
Some effort has been made to make up for their harsh treatment over America’s history. Native Americans may have lost their land, but they receive a degree of autonomy and even a few special privileges—notably gambling, which can actually be quite lucrative if managed well—specifically intended as a form of recompense.
And now their issues are largely ignored. The Indian Health Service provides healthcare on the reservations, so why should non-Native Americans care about substance abuse in the Native-American community? They have legalized gambling, so why should non-Native Americans care about poverty on reservations?
It’s possible that the African-American community might be too large and widespread for the nation’s whites to similarly ignore their issues, but given history, I’d say it’s a very real possibility that white America would simply turn its back on them.
