Arguments Against Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action is defined by “an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, especially in relation to employment or education”. Results of affirmative action have been seen by almost everyone. In America, affirmative action had been first created by an executive order signed by President John F. Kennedy in the year 1961. This order required that government employees “... ensure that they are... treated without regard to their race, creed, color or national origin” (hg.org).

Affirmative action was expanded in the year 1965, promoting equal employment opportunities and it was again expanded, this time to include women, in the year 1967 when the class of “sex” was added to the “list of protected categories” (hg.org).

Thus it is not enough just to open the gates of opportunity. All our citizens must have the ability to walk through those gates.

And he went onto state that to “right these wrongs, ‘equal opportunity is essential, but not enough” (Califano). While affirmative action was set out to promote non-discrimination, “it has evolved into a regime of racial preferences at almost all selective schools”. These preferences being unavoidable. Preferences like this, put students in an unworkable environment and they cannot learn or thrive effectively (Sander and Taylor). Affirmative action is seen by many as reverse discrimination and it is said that it “destroys the idea of a meritocracy and instead puts race as the dominant factor in admissions and hiring procedures”. The person who is most well suited for the job should be thrown into it and those chosen by affirmative action may not be that person which reflects badly upon the university and/or company and the person in it because it “lowers self esteem” (Scalia). Having employees or students in a work or a school environment that are racially diverse, does not mean that thought processes or the opinions or even level of education, work ethic or ability, are going to be diverse as well (Scalia). Affirmative action is also hard to remove once imposed upon a society.