GS Paper 4
Syllabus: International Ethics
Source: IE
Context: San Francisco supervisors have backed the idea of paying reparations to Black people
What are Reparations?
Reparations are the act or process of making amends for a wrong. Effective and prompt reparation is intended to promote justice.
Why Reparations?
The state of California and the cities of Boston and San Francisco are among jurisdictions trying to atone not just for chattel slavery, but for decades of racist policies and laws that systemically denied Black Americans access to the property, education and the ability to build generational wealth.
Fig: US federal government’s promise of granting “40 acres and a mule” (1865) to newly freed slaves was never realized
Why Now?
The proposal for reparations is not new, but it has gained momentum after the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, who was killed in police custody in 2020 reparations movements began spreading in earnest across the country.
Arguments:
- For reparations: The proposal includes giving a lump sum of $5 million to each deserving individual, establishing an Afrocentric K-12 school, offering cash to at-risk students for hitting educational benchmarks, free mental health and rehab treatment, and prioritizing Black San Franciscans for job opportunities and training.
- Concerns against the proposal: Critics argue that it is unfair for taxpayers, some of whom are immigrants, to shoulder the cost of structural racism and discriminatory government policies.
Ethical Perspectives:
- Acknowledging and atoning for past wrongs: San Francisco’s move to consider reparations for Black people acknowledges the systemic racism and discriminatory policies that have disadvantaged them for generations.
- Balancing competing interests: Desire to atone for past wrongs Vs the potential financial burden on taxpayers.
- Understanding the importance of perspective: While a majority of Black people surveyed supported reparations, only 30% of all US respondents were in favour. There is a need for consensus and understanding and respecting different perspectives.
- Holding individuals and institutions accountable for their actions and working to correct past injustices.
Indian Context:
- Against British Colonial Rules: Shashi Tharoor in his book “An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India,” argues that Britain owes India reparations for the massive economic and cultural losses inflicted during its 200-year rule.
- For Dalits: Indian constitution makers have included progressive measures for disadvantaged sections for social and historical injustices, in the constitution itself.
Insta Links
- According to you, what constitutes international ethics? (10M)
