Whether or not to pay reparations to African-Americans became quite the hot topic during the Democratic primaries, but it turns out the candidates weren’t thinking broadly enough. The Nation has introduced us to the idea of vote reparations, which would “empower us to replace oppressive institutions with life-affirming structures of equality.”
Double-counting Black votes would actually restore electoral balance, writes @b_hasbrouck
https://t.co/qsrPXmJOh5— The Nation (@thenation) December 19, 2020
Vote reparations would create possibilities to build what W.E.B. Du Bois called “abolition democracy,” or the practice of achieving a racially just society. Abolition democracy invites us to engage with abolition not as a finite goal but as a radical process of challenging injustices wherever and in whatever form they might appear. Vote reparations would empower us to replace oppressive institutions with life-affirming structures of economic, social, and political equality. And if our elected representatives did not prioritize this transformational work, we could vote them out.
Because white votes currently count more than Black ones, double-counting Black votes would restore electoral balance. Vote reparations would be a giant step toward remedying our nation’s long history of denying and devaluing Black votes. To address systemic racism, we must transform how we choose our government. Even if vote reparations aren’t instituted, Black voters will keep tirelessly dragging our states toward a more perfect union. But just imagine our country if our votes counted twice.
We’re imagining it, and it sounds like a horrible idea.
I don't think advocating for systemic racism would be in the best interest of the country, no.
— Firedog, Ph.D. (@DoctorBarkanine) December 19, 2020
Um, no. You cannot advance fairness by creating unfairness.
— Musings of a Liberal Malcontent (@_LibMalcontent) December 19, 2020
— Coolidge/Dawes (@PHILLYSPORTS42) December 19, 2020
@SirajAHashmi the list is needed ✍️✍️✍️ pic.twitter.com/jAIwOTD0m5
— Dr. NickaChew, Sonny Bunch stan account (@TheNickaChew) December 19, 2020
If it wasn’t for Planned Parenthood they would have double the voters.
— Nurse Patriot-President Elect (@LABeachGal1) December 19, 2020
The road to hell is paved with the best of intentions. This is not a policy that should be advanced.
— Paul D (@Paulmd199) December 19, 2020
Bad quote. They have no good intentions
— Gunther Beethoven ن (@GunthBeethoven) December 19, 2020
Woke is so psychopathic.
— Mr. Dallas M. Noon (@Reddishpilz) December 19, 2020
We have clearly sent too many low IQ people to college and it will ultimately be our undoing. pic.twitter.com/PpFWn6uRA9
— TwittahQuittah (@TwittahQ) December 19, 2020
Some university educations are totally wasted.
— Matt Snavely (@mattsnavely) December 19, 2020
Another “reasonable” suggestion from a myopic professor. There is a lot of legitimate criticism that can be levied at the electoral college, but implicit structural racism because few black people live in Wyoming and North Dakota isn’t one of them.
— SeaTwin (@sea_twin) December 19, 2020
What happened to that idea of having Mike Bloomberg pay Democrats to move to red states to flip the senate seats? Why not pay black voters to move to Wyoming?
What are the life-affirming structures? Much more detail is required…not just lofty rhetoric…before any serious consideration can be given.
— Dan Renick (@Danrenick1) December 19, 2020
This ain’t it
— Center-left stan account (@BlDEN2020) December 19, 2020
This is why we assume you cheat
— Caesar Pounce (@caeser_pounce) December 19, 2020
Racist ✓
Unfair ✓
Unconstitutional ✓
Impossible to define ✓
Breeds resentment/division ✓Thus, seems like the perfect policy for the illiberal wokeists.
— Patrick (@xPMLx) December 19, 2020
Thankfully, this is so blatantly unconstitutional that it could never be put into law. It is also, quite possibly, the worst take of 2020, and that is quite the achievement.
— Andrew Crews (@AndrewCrews62) December 19, 2020
Pretty sure trying to have some people count more than others got us into this mess.
— Brian Martinez (@brianymartinez) December 19, 2020
In articles like this I never see how they propose determining who is black and who isn't.
— Bob "Discarded Human Capital" Razumem (@BRazumem) December 19, 2020
At least you categorized this article correctly in: Racism and Discrimination
— Tent in Quarantino (@goofballprimus) December 19, 2020
Stop it. One person. One vote. That's it. No dead people. No ballot-harvesting.
— Nikolai Gogol (@Zachariahskylab) December 19, 2020
https://twitter.com/UohkMetoo/status/1340419384465117185
Well said.
Related:
Hot take: Art critic says Republicanism needs to ‘isolated and snuffed-out’ in the same way as the coronavirus https://t.co/dTlY8htKKq
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) November 22, 2020
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