Black Twitter Goes In On Dr. Phil After He Said Reparations Would Be An “Absolute Disaster”

Dr. Phil found himself on fans’ bad side after he said providing the Black community with cash reparations for slavery would be an “absolute disaster” earlier this week.

According to Atlanta Black Star, the TV star shared his hot take on Dr. Phill. He weighed in on the matter after Duke University professor William A. Darity Jr. said every Black descendant of slavery should receive $350,000. Darity said 40 million Black Americans have family ties to enslaved people, which means the U.S. would have to come up with $14 trillion to fund a reparation effort appropriately.

Darity, who co-authored From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, explained the payout would help start closing the wealth gap between Black and white people, which he said is about $840,000.

Darity also explained the payments would look like those distributed during the height of the pandemic.

“It would be paid by the federal government in the same way in which the federal government has met the expenses that were paid out for the purposes of trying to deal with the Great Recession and also, most recently, with the economic downturn associated with the great pandemic,” he said.

Dr. Phill shared he thinks giving any American that amount of money would be irresponsible and do more harm than good.

“I can tell you from a psychological perspective that if you take $350,000 or $840,000, and you write a check to any group of people, Black, white, poor, homeless, whatever, you give any group of people that much money and say,” There you go, best of luck,’ you come back in six months, they’re going to be broke,” he said. “Whatever reparations are done, that would be an absolute disaster, as opposed to guidance and help in creating generational wealth, as opposed to income.”

Darity commented that only some recipients of a reparations payment would be reckless with the money. But that wasn’t enough to sway the TV show host. Instead, he cited the amount of fraud that occurred amid COVID as evidence.

A split response exists on social media. Some found Dr. Phill’s comments insightful, while others thought they were derogatory.

“Dr. Phil is a f**king idiot. Cash Reparations are owed & I don’t give a f**k what anyone ‘thinks’ about it. The law is the law, crimes against humanity never expire, wage theft is illegal. Black Americans are owed what was taken from us. F**k all this talk. #CutTheCheck,” one user wrote. 

“Black American Slaves fought in the Civil War. Also Reparations is paid because of past harm, a war does not erase the harm. Example: America saved Jewish people from extinction and they are STILL getting CASH Reparations from multiple countries because of the harm done,” the user also mentioned.

Another user pointed out Dr. Phil’s opinion is irrelevant in the matter.

“Let’s be clear: why would we be asking the opinion of a white man about reparations? When did slave owners like for slaves to be free? Someone answer. The point is Dr. Phil doesn’t have to like it, we’re owed a debt, let us mess it up or not mess it up. It’s ours,” they wrote.

One user shared that reparations have nothing to do with them.

“I didn’t take anything from you, so I don’t owe you,” they wrote.

Dr. Phil has not addressed the backlash. 

According to GoodMorningAmerica.com, his daytime talk show ends this year.