Arguments Against Affirmative Action

Affirmative action is a very controversial topic. It is what allows people of African descent, women or minorities who are skilled and qualified to compete and surpass in areas where they have been underrepresented, in other words, to make up for historical discrimination. It is required by the federal government that schools, universities or employers take affirmative action into consideration if they are seeking to implement programs or make an effort to attain student body or employee diversity that encompasses a broad array of qualifications and characteristics regardless of racial or ethnic origin in order to prevent discrimination. “Affirmative action was first established in Executive Order 10925, by President John F. Kennedy on March

The main reason for this was to ensure that all qualified individuals were included regardless of their race and gender. Although it is not required by any employer to hire a person who does not meet the qualifications necessary to get the job or to choose one less qualified than the other based on race or in gender. Five years after President John F. Kennedy’s executive order was given, Lyndon B. Johnson reinstated affirmative action and stressed the importance of it. He firmly believed that “Men and women of all races are born with the same range of abilities. But ability is not just the product of birth. Ability is stretched or stunted by the family that you live with, and the neighborhood you live in--by the school you go to and the poverty or the richness of your surroundings. It is the product of a hundred unseen forces playing upon the little infant, the child, and finally the man” (President

Most importantly, many people of African descent, women and minorities have already been aided in achieving the education they needed and were offered with the opportunities to attain careers of their choice rather than whatever was available. Many have also been admitted into elite universities or have been employed in positions of power due to affirmative action. I believe that this should apply to all races and genders to receive equal opportunities in education, unrestricted of synthetic barriers or preferences and not only through programs designed to “force” them in but by the sincere and fairness that everyone deserves to receive equal opportunity. The future generations to come will be able to have a much more educated foundation to work on, since the number one reason for minorities is the lack of education and qualifications based on the previous and many limitations they once