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Affirmative Action Pros And Cons

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Late in the 1950’s there was upset in the United States. Minority groups felt like they were being oppressed solely because of the one thing in them that made them different from the majority group.This commotion resulted in the creation of a program called ‘affirmative action.’ This program does not allow discrimination of any person who is a minority in the place of work or education. Affirmative action has not been without controversy, though. There are many people who believe this restricts people in the majority, and recently there was a Supreme Court case on it. Approximately 50 years after its creation, affirmative action has created an inclusive and positive space for minority groups to function.
First and foremost, affirmative action …show more content…

According to “Race, Socioeconomic Status and Health: Complexities, Ongoing Challenges and Research Opportunities,” it is said that, “The data reveal remarkable increases in education over time with the percentage of blacks completing high school increasing fourfold from 20% in 1960 to 82% in 2006. Similarly, the percentage of whites completing high school doubled from 43% in 1960 to 86% in 2006. In 2006, the disparity between whites and blacks in high school graduation rates had narrowed dramatically from earlier years” (Williams). This data shows that not only a minority group has benefitted over time. Affirmative action may be targeting minority groups, but it is only doing that to help everyone be an educated, working member of society. Based on the capitalistic values that the United States of America holds, one cannot survive without some source of income. With the current standards that many businesses have, it is consequential that one have a college degree. Affirmative action makes it easier for those who could possibly be discriminated against get a …show more content…

According to an article titled, “How Harvard Set the Model for Affirmative Action in College Admissions,” it is stated that, ‘“This kind of program treats each applicant as an individual in the admissions process,” Powell wrote. “The applicant who loses out on the last available seat to another candidate receiving a ‘plus’ on the basis of ethnic background will not have been foreclosed from all consideration for that seat simply because he was not the right color or had the wrong surname”’ (qtd. In Anderson). Harvard has been under a magnifying glass because of their high educational standards. This school provides a great place for other schools to model their admissions process of

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When people think about affirmative action, the first thing that comes to their mind is positive discrimination. That is not quite right. Affirmative action is necessary in order to achieve equal opportunity, especially in the fields of higher education and employment. Affirmative action should not be banned or regulated because it gives women and people from ethnic and social minorities the chance of obtaining the job they want or studying at the school they choose. Affirmative action is very important system to our society and employers should dedicate all their resources to ensure that people are not discriminated against on the basis of their ethnic group or their gender.

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Affirmative action in the United States I believe that affirmative action negatively affects on both minorities and majorities. From a minority’s perspective, the idea that minorities can receive benefits from others due to their race, ethnicity, or gender can cause them to feel segregated against anyway. Since the term, ‘minority,’ no longer applies to every females or person of color today, female students or students of color with affluent backgrounds may feel segregated and devalued even when they did not get any special benefit from affirmative action policies. Majorities, in this case, male or white students, will also get discouraged because this can be regarded as a form of reverse discrimination, especially with racial affirmative action programs.

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On the Paradox of Affirmative Action Inequality has pervaded American society throughout history, and it continues to invade the lives of young Americans in the form of affirmative action. Affirmative action, a process in which colleges favor minorities and other disadvantaged groups, fails to serve its intended purposes: to compensate for historical discrimination. Worse, it creates aptly named reverse racism, wherein the majority has a disadvantage. Affirmative action also has a goal of creating diversity, but diversity includes more than race; moreover, the importance of equality vastly dwarfs the importance of diversity, though the two are closely entangled. Despite benevolent intentions, the institution of affirmative action policies

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Gratz and Hull are not alone on the defense side of affirmative action. In his article “University Affirmative Action Admissions Policies Are Toxic,” Robert Cherry asserts that “affirmative action admissions policies disportionately accept students with lower-than-average test score and grades. As a result, they are not adequately prepared for the rigors of top-tier universities.” In making this comment, Cherry clearly favors for affirmative action to be taken out of higher education. He supports his argument with data that suggest that minorities are not performing as well as whites because some colleges lower their standards in order to accept more minorities.

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As a minority student at Harvard law, Obama stressed that colleges who select students to create a diverse student body, are not doing so for educational benefits. Moreover, Obama was questioned on what he expects when his daughters are old enough to apply to college. Obama responded by saying “they (his daughters) should probably be treated by any admissions officer as folks who are pretty advantaged, and there is nothing wrong with that.” Along with President Obama, numerous people argue that the rationale for racial preferences in college admissions is corrective, as well as to help “struggling” African Americans achieve racial equality in society. The conflicting views on the topic of Affirmative Action makes it a heavily debated and controversial issue in politics and debates; and despite laws that both support or oppose it, the amount of attention paid to it becomes its own

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As a result, the suggestion that affirmative action had many downsides emerged in the public mind. In view of many scholars, the major drawback of the affirmative action is that white people could turn to be a minority. Furthermore, affirmative action is seen as discrimination of the minorities due to its nature to discriminate either blacks or whites and search for the favor for only one

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No real benefit to students admitted under affirmative action programs exists, as these students often struggle to meet standards. This idea is part of the mismatch theory (Sander 4). Even though African American students are more likely to start college than white students from similar backgrounds, white students are less likely to drop out, and therefore, more likely to graduate (Sanders 4). Improper matching of students ability with rigor of a school causes this phenomenon. In order to meet racial admission quotas, a school may admit a student who does not necessarily meet all the requirements.

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In this essay, Affirmative Action is looked upon as a positive attribute to minorities as a whole. In addition, it is a stepping stone that was put into place for minorities to be able to thrive. With Affirmative Action, there are more fair opportunities for an individual other than a Caucasian male or female. Thomas Jefferson said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are treated equally…” this was embedded in the American way of life, but are all men created equally? Minorities in America are already at a disadvantage from birth.

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Unbelievably, there was a time where it was very difficult for minorities to get equal opportunities in just about every facet of life. Whether it was landing a good job, going to a prestigious school or even getting housing opportunities it was very difficult for minorities to attain these things. Mostly affecting Africans Americans, many other minority groups that were also affected from not getting equal opportunities in everyday life were the Italians, Irish, Jews, Mormons, homosexuals, and women. With all the unrest and civil action by these groups, things were bound to change to give them a chance to have equality in these areas. Soon enough a new law was passed by President John F. Kennedy called Affirmative Action.

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Affirmative action is defined as; the policy of favoring members of a disadvantaged group who suffer from discrimination within a culture. History in America has always had the reoccurring theme of racism. Throughout history there has traditionally been a universal feel of oppression to minorities. Blacks and Latinos specifically have been stereotyped as underprivileged and not able to have equal opportunity in America. Statistics back these claims up as well; America boasts 64% of the American workforce is considered Non-Hispanic White, 16% Hispanic, and a mere 12% for African Americans.

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In reality the policy destroys the camaraderie and team building as unqualified individuals is advanced ahead of those with proven track records. In addition, College Admission boards are also required to screen applications based on quotas that has been established by the affirmative action policy in an effort to promote diversity (James, 2010). American college testing [ATC] and Scholastic Test [SAT] scores are used to forecast future freshman grades and is the basis for entrance into prominent universities.

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In our country, the term “affirmative action” was first heard in 1961 under President Kennedy as a way to rectify the racial discrimination occurring at the time. The purpose of the affirmative action policies was to insure blacks, and other minority groups had the same chances for promotion, jobs, school admissions, scholarships, etc. that were previously only available to whites. Affirmative action was meant to be a temporary remedy to “level the playing field.” This policy has been debated many times over the year but was upheld in the U.S. Supreme Court in Fisher v. Texas.

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Throughout many of the affirmative action legal cases, one of the main arguments from proponents is that it is necessary in order to right the wrongs of past racial discrimination. Some say that affirmative action is justified because even though white applicants may be more qualified, this is only because they did not face the same hardships as their minority counterparts (Rachels, Ethics, 1973).  Many argue if we do not integrate disadvantaged minorities into mainstream social institutions, they will continue to suffer the discrimination that has plagued our country for centuries and that this is detrimental to not only the minorities but also society as a whole (Anderson, 2002, 1270–71). However, the debate has recently shifted to the benefits of diversity in the classroom which the Supreme Court has affirmed as being a positive thing

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