Reply #9: I am sick to death of the 'my grandpappy dint own no slaves' argument

[Cirque du So-What]

and to think I've actually seen that rationalization used on ostensibly Democratic boards as well *COUGH, COUGH!*

That argument is SHIT! It doesn't matter whether you're descended from slave owners or from indentured servants, from early 20th-century processees at Ellis Island or immigrated from Europe yourself: if you're white (or several other ethnicities, for that matter), you're already several rungs higher on the ladder of economic success than the descendants of slaves from Africa. To the first person to denounce Affirmative Action, I ask you to review why that legislation was enacted in the first place; if not for AA, the balance would be tipped even farther toward whites, and a quick glance reveals that there's a huge gulf of inequity that needs to be bridged.

So, if you're white and even if none of your relatives actually owned slaves, you've benefitted from a system rigged against the descendants of those slaves - whether you're willing to admit it or not.