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The Pros And Cons Of Affirmative Action

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Affirmative action is one of the most controversial issues between scholars, academics, professionals, and in the forum of public opinion in general. It has been extended to all public services, education, as well as military and private workplace issues. Extreme diverse opinions have been raised throughout many years since the affirmative action took a place. I believe that the core issue might be that there is a general lack of familiarity among the general public what term affirmative action does actually mean. Affirmative action or positive discrimination is a program providing advantages for people of a minority group or who are seem to have been traditionally historically discriminated against. The goal and the main intention of the whole …show more content…

Some are emphasizing its positive outcomes while others are underlining its negative consequences. In my personal opinion, affirmative action will be transformed and will reflect the better kind of future we desire. Not only certain individuals will benefit but the educational institutions, business companies and public organizations which practice affirmative action policies will reflect much wider range pool of talents, different experiences where everyone will bring a difference and its own contribution. In summary, affirmative action is a needed policy as due to the overwhelming data ethnic and gender discrimination still exists. There is certainly no policy that can solve all problems and it is fair to say that it is difficult to detect discrimination on a case-by-case basis (individual instances). Nevertheless, affirmative action is needed to lessen bias in the paid labor force because affirmative action is one of the employment remedies that stop people protesting on their behalf. It is very hard to assess effectiveness of affirmative action as it is very difficult to measure, but historical evidence shows that some its programs have been proven to be effective. In my humble opinion affirmative action is fair at both the macro justice and micro justice levels if it is not misinterpreted and implemented correctly. As Lyndon Johnson describes his point of view as the following “affirmative action has a forward-looking not a backward looking justification”. Fifty years of affirmative action is not enough time to solve history’s entire problem. Until the day hundred percent of minorities can confirm they aren’t being discriminated against, affirmative action should continue and enforcement of the laws should still take a place to improve society in ways that benefit everyone and

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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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After all, it gives minorities what some would call, an unfair advantage. One point Anne Hull makes in her article “Affirmative Action Hurts White People” concerns readers that affirmative action is unconstitutional. She goes into detail by telling the story of a girl named Jennifer Gratz, a white applicant rejected from her dream college. Jennifer claimed that though she had worked extremely hard to have polished credentials, she fell short to a minority student with the same GPA and test scores all because of race. After being rejected, Gratz pursued a lawsuit against the University of Michigan, raising the question if affirmative action is still need in higher education (Hull 31).

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Since 1992 and under the Migration Act, asylum seekers that arrive to Australia without a valid visa must be held in an immigration detention until they are granted a visa or removed from the (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2016). Although this law is effective, it is obvious that this is not the best option for the country, and is not working as planned. If an asylum seeker arrives to Australia without a visa, or ‘unauthorised’, they must be held in mandatory detention whilst their refugee claims are decided, (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2005) along with their health, identity and security check to be completed. These processes can be lengthy and difficult, meaning that the asylum seeker or refugee may be held in detention for much longer than needed.

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880 Words | 4 Pages

These students have the potential to succeed, but quickly become discouraged in the demanding programs (Sander 6). Use of an affirmative action program “tantalizes unprepared students with the promise of a [...] degree and all of the opportunities that it offers,” (Justice Powell qtd. in Chingos par. 3). This tendency of such a program to actually hurt those it attempts to help, means that the program should not be used. When California voters realized this, they passed Proposition 209.

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Affirmative action should be used towards college admissions because it allows a fair evaluation of applicants and compensates for gender and racial inequalities. This policy was originally put into place for white veterans and women, but after the Civil Rights Movement, it began to include minorities. The action does not make it easy for students to get into college based on just their race and only makes up for their disadvantages. Still many conservative whites argue that it is seen as reverse racism and that white students are being discriminated against. However, affirmative action is a response that has developed throughout centuries of discrimination upon people of color and women; this policy is by no means discriminating against white

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717 Words | 3 Pages

In the United States, equality is demanded from everyone. One of the key components is affirmative action. This is a program that expects positive action towards its citizens with respect to overlooking any race, practices, barriers, or policies that prohibit one from landing a job or career. In addition, there must be fair speculations of women, people with disabilities, and minorities who are in search for a job. The purpose is simple; provide fairness to every single citizen qualified for the workforce regardless of gender, race, or disabilities.

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1100 Words | 5 Pages

Gary Becker a college professor at the University of Chicago states that “Affirmative Action laws hurt individuals who are supposed to benefit from them and does more harm than good.” (Becker) Becker states “individuals less qualified perform poorer than their more qualified peers in school and in the workplace.” (Becker). Both sides each have valid points to make and evidence to support them. Groups that support and confirm Affirmative Action and there polices are The American Council on Education.

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When reading all three articles pertaining to Affirmative Action, one can gain a great insight on Affirmative Action, what it means, how its affecting people, and how people view what Affirmative Action stands for. Many generalizations can be made about Affirmative Action and what it means or stands for. Some might say it is unfair that we have Affirmative Action policies and that it only hurts those that actually need it. My personal generalization is that Affirmative Action is creating equality amongst people, which is very important if we as a nation want to succeed. I can also infer that AA creates diversity in the work place and in educational areas because it allows a variety of people to succeed and work or learn together.

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553 Words | 3 Pages

It’s important to remember affirmative action is a response to the discrimination that already exists. Even with affirmative action, women continue to earn seventy-seven cents for every male dollar. African Americans continue to have twice the unemployment rate of white people. Only two research universities in states with affirmative action bans have at least the same proportion of black students as the state’s college-age population. “Many events in recent years have served as important reminders that our Nation, despite path-breaking progress on some fronts, continues to face, and at times to struggle with, matters of race and inclusion that remain ever present in our communities,” lawyers for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill wrote in a brief to the

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1011 Words | 5 Pages

Affirmative action has become obsolete in today’s society. Affirmative action is an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women; also: a similar effort to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged persons (Merriam-Webster, 2011). Today’s affirmative action will demoralize the very concepts that the policy was implemented to uphold: those of equality for all people regardless of color and discrimination. This policy supports racial multiplicity at the price of distinction, impartiality and experience; it also follows the line of reverse discrimination and sexual bias against white men (Reyna, Tucker, Korfmacher, & Henry, 2005).

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1313 Words | 6 Pages

There are a lot of African-Americans, Hispanics, and women that are successful in business, science, and agriculture. Now, affirmative action is neither morally justifiable nor socially beneficial. Affirmative action divides the workplace, institutions, and universities into groups because race and sex are taken into consideration. In any institutions or universities, there should not be any minorities. Gender and race should not matter.

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883 Words | 4 Pages

However, advocates are aware of the failures that exist in affirmative action; for instance, racial injustices and poverty (Gu, McFerran, Aquino, & Kim, 2014). The primary liability of affirmative action is not in its intent or original design. It lies in its economic and political process which has unemployment and inequity constructed on it. Unless these issues are dealt with, no solution will be attained to resolve racial inequities and economic and social injustice.

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394 Words | 2 Pages

Affirmative action is the practice that was designed to protect members of marginalized groups from discrimination and provide equal opportunities. Affirmative action is constantly under fire in the United States despite the benign platform on which it was built. In essence, affirmative action aims to ensure that historically and verifiably disadvantaged peoples are given a chance they deserve that might not have been given otherwise. The practice aims to increase diversity and address past wrongdoings of excluding qualified people from an opportunity for discriminatory reasons. Arguments that arise against affirmative action is that it is “reverse discrimination,” and past wrongdoings to minorities does not justify present-day “discrimination”

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779 Words | 4 Pages

Instead of solely considering race as a factor, it is only fair that a family’s income is looked at as well. On that note, affirmative action is unfair and should be terminated. Affirmative action in university admissions was introduced in the late 1960s as an effort to jump-start racial integration and foster equal opportunity. The idea of this came across as a positive action, but at one point along the way it took a wrong turn. Many people started to second-guess whether or not affirmative action is for the better.

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1734 Words | 7 Pages

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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