As a Slavic person, I want my reparations for the slavery my ancestors had to endure up to the ~11th century. Or we can all just say “fuck it” and stop pretending like people who never owned slaves owe something to people who never were slaves.

How about we punish the people who actually still own slaves instead?

Apart from the fact that you’re pretending 150 years (with the civil rights legacy still not resolved) is much the same as a whole millennium, you’re also ignoring the substantial differences between the slavery your ancestors endured and the chattel slavery practiced as a result of the transatlantic slave trade.

Chattel slavery meant a lifetime of slavery and children born into slavery, often through rape-for-profit by slaveholders. Enslaved families being ripped apart on a whim if a sale was convenient for their enslaver.

The transatlantic element meant enslaved people were permanently recognisable as slaves.

And the creation of the particular form of racism found in the Americas to prevent poor whites from fraternising with their most natural allies.

This is a terrific read, if you want to educate yourself: I know why poor whites chant Trump, Trump, Trump

An investment in African slaves also ensured a cost-effective, long-term workforce. Female slaves were often raped by their white owners or forced to breed with male slaves, and children born into slavery remained slaves for life. In contrast, white female servants who became pregnant were often punished with extended contracts, because a pregnancy meant months of lost work time. From a business perspective, a white baby was a liability, but African children were permanent assets.

As the number of African slaves grew, landowners realized they had a problem on their hands. Slave owners saw white servants living, working, socializing, and even having babies with African slaves. Sometimes they tried to escape together. What’s more, freed white servants who received land as part of their freedom dues had begun to complain about its poor quality. This created a potentially explosive situation for landowners, as oppressed workers quickly outnumbered the upper classes. What was to prevent freed whites, indentured servants, and African slaves from joining forces against the tyranny of their masters?

I’ll read it later, but to your first point: there was a slave trade route with Slavic people, they were lifetime slaves as well, families ripped apart is nothing new. Really, the only difference is how long ago it was. So why do you draw the line at 150 years?

I didn’t draw any lines. Your English is easily good enough to comprehend what I wrote. If you misunderstood, read it again. If you’re being deliberately obtuse, fuck off.

Apart from the fact that you’re pretending 150 years (with the civil rights legacy still not resolved) is much the same as a whole millennium

This is the part I was reacting to. Sounds to me like drawing a line. Everything else is the same for both slave trades. Or are you being deliberately obtuse? In that case you should heed your own advice.

You’re going to have to explain how you think I’m drawing a line there.

Not agreeing with them, but it sounds like they’re arguing that 150 years is out of living memory in the same way a millennium is.

There are people alive today whose grandparents were born into slavery. Given that slavery did not actually end with the civil war, and Jim Crow, and mass incarceration, and the current dismantling of civil rights era laws, there are hundreds of millions of people alive today who are still directly suffering the aftermath.

So no, it is nowhere out of living memory and I am astonished that there are two people in one place so ignorant that they are willing to argue that it is.