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Comment by hnbad | Hacker News Reader

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It's similar to companies offering out-of-court settlements. If they were serious/sincere about acknowledging their wrongdoing, then they'd go to court and face the consequences. It's understandable that many if not most people would just take the settlement (especially considering how expensive legal proceedings can be), but it's also fully understandable that there are people who would see it for exactly what it is: an attempt to buy their silence/forgiveness.

Oh, absolutely. I could fully understand if the tribes decided that they want to accept the money despite thinking its insulting. It's not nothing. But considering the amount would in practice be a symbolic gesture at best, it's also fully understandable that they reject it because they understand that the gesture is hollow and not forgiving after accepting the money would only allow others to say they're ungrateful.

How could it be not symbolic? You can't un-kill the dead. Even an all-out revenge massacre wouldn't fail the "symbolic" predicate.

That's why I said it would be a symbolic gesture at best. You can't un-genocide the genocide. But I also said it isn't even that really because it's a hollow gesture.

Germany's GDP is nearly $4 trillion. Germany's federal budget for 2021 is roughly $450 billion. Giving away a little over $1 billion once, is barely even noticeable. I'm not saying Germany should offer $4 trillion to Namibia or even $450 billion. But $1 billion once, with no genuine apology, is an insult.

To contrast this consider that under the EU's GDPR companies can be fined for up to 4% of annual revenue for violations of data privacy. If Germany were a company and the federal budget its annual revenue, that would translate to $18 billion. Again, I'm not saying this exact amount would be appropriate. But if you want to buy forgiveness, you should at least inconvenience yourself to do so to show you mean it.

But it isn't buying forgiveness because noone of those paying was involved in the atrocities in question. It might be called an unsolicited bribe given in hopes of reducing any multi-generational grudges that might be held. Turns out it seems to have the opposite effect, by putting a spotlight on an ugly bit of history. Lesson learned: don't bother. If the receiving side considers it a negotiation it's on them that they attach a price tag to the lives of their ancestral community.

I have no idea why people are downvoting you. From what I know all you said is correct. The money will be given to the Namibian government and not to the descendants of the genocide (the Nama and Herero) who don't have a large representation in government. All the negotiations have been with the government without the involvement of the Nama and Herero.

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