Thinking about reparations

There’s an article in the Guardian today about a book proposing reparations for slavery in the UK. It pointed out that such reparations need not be monetary. That got me thinking: perhaps the primary value for a reparations process is the accurate accounting of exactly what wrongs were done, and the cost of those wrongs. Often an accounting of the wrongs of the past amount to nothing more than generalized handwringing and a vague sense of guilt, but processes like the Waitangi Tribunal require detailed, specific analysis of wrongs and their ongoing consequences, which in itself constitutes a value.

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