Few social policies transcend boarders, even fewer evoke such fierce debate, or prolonged inquiry, as does the controversial policy known as affirmative action. Its presence is known in numerous countries, under various guises: “Standardization” in Sri Lanka, “positive discrimination” in Great Britain, and India, “reflecting the federal character of the country,” in Nigeria, and “sons of the soil” preferences in Malaysia and Indonesia. (affirmative action Around the World, pg2).
Its critics are vocal as to their dissent of its legality, and fight tirelessly against it, often times in unity with one another. From individual citizens, to presidents, Supreme Court justices, and those in academia, all weigh in with their own perceptions. The purpose of the following argument is to provide an in-depth, formidable analysis of affirmative action, primarily in university admissions in the United States of America.
Regardless of the stance taken, proponent or opponent; affirmative action is often misunderstood amongst its most fervent commentators. What is affirmative action? Why, if at all, is affirmative action needed? Where and when did it originate? For what reasons? To whose benefit? To whose detriment? All of these questions, and more, beg not only answering, but asking. However, even the answers to these questions are intensely debated. Affirmative action stretches through numerous cities, states, countries, and hemispheres. To turn this policy into distinctly “American,” would be a grave misrepresentation, as doing so, would discount the histories and issues of countries who have similar programs; in some cases, outdating that of America. This being acknowledged, particular attention will be paid to the American experience.
The Term Paper on Affricative Action Affirmative Discrimination Programs
... be presented to gain a better understanding of affirmative action in today's society. Affirmative action is a policy assigned to increase representation of women and ... -percent by the year 2050 since immigration from Third World countries is primarily responsible for transforming America demographically (O'Sullivan 22). These ...
Before an argument can be made in favor of, or in opposition to, affirmative action, one must first understand what affirmative action is. “Affirmative action is a policy or a program aimed at increasing the representation of members of groups that have traditionally been discriminated against.” (Wikipedia, Affirmative action) The policy dates back to the 1960’s, its beginnings originate from severe discrimination against racial minorities, and women. Its goal is to increase the representation of those groups that are traditionally underrepresented in fields that have been discriminatory in the past. The terms “affirmative action,” and “positive discrimination,” originated in law, where it is common for lawyers to speak of “affirmative or “positive” remedies that command the wrongdoer, to correct a wrong. (Wikipedia, Affirmative Action)
Numerically speaking, the most severely underrepresented groups in the U.S.A have consistently been people of color, and women. This is a result of America’s past, which is inundated with severe oppression, and discrimination against both groups. As a result, these two groups lack representation in positions normally associated with white males, and prestige. In the early parts of the century, blacks were denied basic education from not only post- secondary educational institutions, but basic educational institutions. The discriminatory trend also included women, who were also denied basic educational and social privileges.
The issue of race and education was most prominently addressed in 1954, with the landmark case, “Brown vs. Board of Education”, which ruled that “separate but equal [was] inherently unequal. The landmark verdict overturned a previously heavily relied upon doctrine (Plessy vs. Fergusen) which had legalized segregation in the U.S. Less than ten years after “Board vs. Education”, in 1964, then president Lyndon Johnson signed the civil rights act into authority. This act, forbade discrimination on numerous grounds, namely, race. He went even further by requesting that America take “affirmative action” when hiring. By affirmative action he wanted businesses to employ qualified underrepresented minorities to fill positions; this led to the need to diversify in many other public spectrums other than employment, such as education.
The Essay on Affirmative Action A Counter Productive Policy
By definition, racism is the discrimination of prejudice against race. Discrimination, by definition, is treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than on individual merit. In 1961, when President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10.925, he was indicating that individual businessmen should take affirmative action to ensure applicants and employees are treated "without ...
Colleges around the country, who were also seeking to diversify, followed suit with employers, who were seeking to diversify their institutions. Colleges posed the question:
How can we racially diversify our student populace, allowing our institutions body to mirror America’s diversity? The answer quickly became affirmative action. This program, still in its developmental stages, allowed colleges to set numerical goals, in
order too boost minority enrollment. The program would start off small, with just a few spaces reserved for minorities, gradually increasing its numbers until the campuses diversity mirrored America’s. The program operated by allotting seats specifically for different races, categorizing applicants by race, than putting them against their own for the entering seats.
Not long after the policies inception, the debate regarding affirmative action reached the supreme court of the United States for a decision as to whether or not affirmative action was discriminatory. In 1978, Allan Bakke, a Caucasian male claimed that the policy constituted racism, and that as a result, it breached his civil rights. Mr. Bakke, had applied to medical school, and was subsequently turned down. This he felt, was a result of affirmative action, and constituted a breach of his 14 amendment right as a U.S. citizen. The challenge came under the 14th amendment of the U.S. constitution which states “no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.”(14th amendment U.S. constitution) Mr. Bakke, and his lawyers, argued that this right, afforded to him under the U.S. constitution, had been breached by the affirmative action policy governing admissions to college programs. On June 28th, 1978, the court handed down its ruling. It upheld the legality of affirmative action, however struck down the numerical portion of it, disallowing schools to set “targets” or “quotas.” This ruling only fueled the debate.
The Essay on Affirmative Action 34
Michael Czyzniejewski English 111 Sec.013 February 24, 2000 May The Best Man Win After you graduate from college, you will be putting in your application for a job that you went to college for. Even though you might be the most qualified for the job you still might not obtain the position. Affirmative Action sometimes causes this because companies have to hire a certain number of minorities ...
Critics claimed “reverse racism,” saying that academic standards were being lowered for minorities, creating an unfair advantage. In contrast to these arguments, Lyndon Johnson put it best when he said:
“you do not take a person who for years, who has been hobbled by chains, and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say, ‘you are free to compete with all the others’ and still justly believe that you have been completely fair.”
This proclamation only heightened the debate. Proponents of affirmative action felt it was long overdue, and drastically needed, considering all of the racism prevalent at that time, and historically. They objected to terms like “preferential treatment,” saying they were not being preferred, but rather, finally being treated fairly.
Since that time, the debate continues. However, to put things in perspective to those opposed to affirmative action, questions must be asked. For those who state that affirmative action is “reverse racism,” if given the opportunity, would they switch places with a minority in order to take advantage of these “advantages?” Probably not. What about those who address their frustrations with affirmative action through the viewpoint of minorities. Arguing they disagree with affirmative action, for the minority’s sake, because it unfairly burdens the minority, reasoning, affirmative action leads people to believe they got to their position being an affirmative action baby, and not through merit. One should question such reasoning. Will people also believe that white males received their positions because they are white, and not because of hard work Probably not. The belief that minorities get in due to their race, is, in this arguments belief, individual perspectives, and not the norm.
In conclusion, affirmative action remains a pillar of American social policy, and with recent court rulings (Grutter vs. Bolinger) affirming its legality, it’s unlikely to change. This being said, critics of affirmative action will fight tirelessly against it, and proponents will faithfully fight for its continuance. However, if the last court ruling didn’t prove its legality, and therefore stop opponents from challenging it, it is impossible to predict what, if anything, will.
The Term Paper on Affirmative Action Black African Racism
The African American experience in the United States is one that could almost be described as irreparable. The African American debut in this country was one that started off as foul as a situation could be. The slavery experience ranks amongst some of the most inhumane eras in the history of mankind. The settlers in the colonies viewed Africans as only 3/5 ths of a man and used Africans as tools, ...
