but asking you to share some of the wealth you gained to redress the harm done is an entirely material claim. It could be done calmly and rationally or emotionally and bombastically. — Pseudonym

One can ask for anything.

So we should look at the question of asking for something and demanding something.

If one asks for something with the expectation they should receive it then they did not really ask in the first instance.

It was a demand.

To ask is to only reasonably expect an answer in the negative or the positive or no answer at all.

Ultimately all one can do is ask.......apart from doing something for yourself.

So if I stole your wallet from you you wouldn't 'demand' it back, you wouldn't be able to utter the expression "give me back my wallet!" without feeling the need to seek psychiatric help?

Yes, so how does any of that change the fact that the treatment of slaves materially affected their descendants? — Pseudonym

Everyone can claim to be affected negatively by history. Many feel this to be the case.

Feelings are a psychological issue.

So if I stole your wallet from you you wouldn't 'demand' it back, you wouldn't be able to utter the expression "give me back my wallet!" without feeling the need to seek psychiatric help? — Pseudonym

I would do only what is in my power to retrieve my wallet.

Doing all I can possibly do and then accepting I have done all I can possibly do is a good psychological outcome.

Expecting others to do all of that for me is not a good outcome with regard to my psychology.

Everyone can claim to be affected negatively by history. — raza

Not with equal veracity they can't. The poor are not definitively descended from other poor people. Black people are pretty definitely descended from other black people so their heritage (and therefore the effect history has had on them) is much more certain.

History may well have negatively affected me, but I've got no good reason to think it has. Some groups simply have a better reason than others.

Doing all I can possibly do and then accepting I have done all I can possibly do is a good psychological outcome. — raza

So how is combining with others who feel the same and using whatever emotional means are at your disposal to influence those in power not one of the thing you can "possibly do"? You're saying it's reasonable for people to do everything in their power to retrieve what they believe is theirs, but then arbitrarily denying some of the methods by which they might do that.

So how is combining with others who feel the same and using whatever emotional means are at your disposal to influence those in power not one of the thing you can "possibly do"? You're saying it's reasonable for people to do everything in their power to retrieve what they believe is theirs, but then arbitrarily denying some of the methods by which they might do tha — Pseudonym

People can try anything. Good luck to them.