By Abner Bruno
Deroy Murdock, a syndicated columnist for the Scripps Howard News Service led an impassioned lecture on slavery reparations entitled “Reparations: A Dumb and Dangerous Idea.”
Murdock discussed the reasons why he believes reparations are not beneficial to society. His hour and a half long speech, sponsored by the University Republicans, focused mainly on what he referred to as a “literally impossible idea that breaks down into a baffling number of questions.”
He challenged the audience to ask, who is responsible for paying out these reparations? He finds it rather difficult to decide who should take responsibility for this debt, calling it “a morally wrong and unworkable idea.”
“Not all white people are descendants of slave owners,” Murdock said. “Not all white people were slave owners.”
He raised a barrage of questions to solidify his point.
“How do we decide who is to receive reparation payments?” Murdock asked. Against what standards are we to rightfully judge who gets compensated and who does not? Should an individual receive reparation funds merely because they are of African-American descent? Should one’s status in society play a role in the amount that they receive? How about African-American immigrants from other countries?
Murdock pointed out the American black middle class is growing and becoming more prosperous through diligence and hard work.
“One of the worse things about reparations is that it undermines these accomplishments,” he said.
Another important segment of the issue on reparations was how they should be paid out. Should it be in the form of a check, cash, or funds toward different programs for African-American students?
Murdock stuck to reparations being “unfair and unrealistic,” firmly stating, “money doesn’t always do what you want it to do.”
Murdock believes it is extremely difficult to decide what’s to be done about the struggle for reparations. He thinks it should not be as big of a deal as it is being made in the public. In fact he feels pursuing reparations would cause even more of a wedge in an already extremely racial society.
“It may cause more of a division among the races,” he said. The ripple effects could in turn create more racial tensions and racial hostility, he argued.
Murdock pointed out that instead of focusing solely on why reparations should be paid or who should pay them, we should focus more on the immediate problems in society, such as the public school systems.
“One more minute spent debating reparations is one less minute spent dealing with the disseminated school system where black students are enrolled, but not learning,” he said.
Murdock’s ideas piqued the interest of many in attendance, fueling a torrent of emotion-driven questions. A number of students in the audience were taken back by his stance on reparations as an African-American.
“How could he stand up there and deny the occurrence of the black holocaust,” senior Divine Allah said.