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Impact of affirmative action on society
The nature of affirmative action
Negative impact of affirmative action
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Recommended: Impact of affirmative action on society
Discrimination against race, gender, religion, or other social characteristics is occurring in all parts of the United States almost every day. Unfortunately, the U.S. has a history of extreme case of discrimination, which has evoked controversy and in worse cases, violence. To discourage any more of adverse discernment towards certain individuals, the Federal government has imposed legislation called affirmative action. According to At Issue: Affirmative Action, “Affirmative action is designed to promote access to opportunities in education, employment, housing, and government contracts among certain designated groups, such as women and minorities“ (At Issue). This law is necessary in today’s society in order to maintain equality and diminish discrimination against social groups throughout the United States.
Inductive Reasoning
Affirmative action has leveled the playing field for minorities in situations where they normally would encounter disadvantages. Prior to affirmative action in 1965, the UCLA Law School only enrolled four women and a small amount of minorities, but since the legislation was passed, the school has seen close to half its students female and an increase in minorities (Blasi). Greg Walton, a Stanford psychologist, emphasizes that, “schools need to take affirmative steps to level the playing field and to make meritocratic decisions” (qtd. in Donald). In addition, Jeremy Blasi states in his submission to the newspaper LA Youth, “It [Glass Ceiling Commission] also found that businesses do not recruit minorities and women. For every woman or person of color in a high-end job, there are three white men” (Blasi) to show that in the workplace white males tend to be more hired individuals. Society needs affirmative ...
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...e we are unable to share different cultures, ideas, and benefits that all citizens of all social groups can offer.
Works Cited
“Affirmative Action.” Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 2013. Web. 06 Nov 2013.
Blasi, Jeremy. "We Need Affirmative Action." LA Youth, June/July 1995. 5. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 06 Nov 2013.
Conners, Paul, ed. Affirmative Action. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Print.
Donald, Brooke. “Affirmative action is needed to get the best candidates, Stanford psychologist says.” Stanford News, April 26, 2012. Stanford University. Web. 06 Nov 2013.
Plous, Scott. “Ten Myths About Affirmative Action.” N.p., 2002-2013. Web. 06 Nov 2013
ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Affirmative Action." ProQuest LLC, 2013. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 Nov 2013
Touré. “Why We Still Need Affirmative Action.” Ideas.time.com. TIME Inc, 2013. Web. 06 Nov 2013.
The issue of Affirmative Action, preferences towards persons of racial minorities to compensate for prior discrimination, in college admissions is a quite complicated one. Many sides must be explored to gain a better understanding of the theories and views on this issue. It is not easily answered with a yes or no. Since its inception, Affirmative Action’s use has been a major debate in American society. Many questions are left to be investigated. Many believe that we should live in a society where preferential treatment could be eliminated, and admission to college is based solely on one’s merit and character, yet this view seems quite unrealistic.
Affirmative action is a label for a large range of programs, but all of these methods began for one reason: as a way to fight racism. There were voluntary efforts and mandatory laws enacted in order to accomplish this feat (Wu par 6). It was begun under President Johnson with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and was followed by his Executive Order 11246, both of which emphasized the fair treatment and employment of minorities. Two years later, women were added to the list. Today affirmative action benefits women, racial and ethnic groups, and the physically, mentally or emotionally disabled to the detriment of white males (“affirmative action” par 1). Due to affirmative action’s efforts, doors have been opened allowing for the equalizing of opportunity in the United States, seen in the types of people working in places such as police and fire departments, as w...
Charles, Camille Z., et al. "Affirmative-Action Programs for Minority Students: Right in Theory, Wrong in Practice." The Chronicle of Higher Education 55.29 (2009). Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Aug. 2011.
Subconscious prejudices, self-segregation, political correctness, reverse discrimination, and ignorance all wade in the pool of opinions surrounding affirmative action and racial animosity. With racial tensions ever present in this country, one might question whether the problems can be solved by affirmative action.
Hesse, Katherine A. “Affirmative Action – Undergraduate Admissions.” Benefits Quarterly 20 (Third Quarter 2004): 75.
Stephanopoulos, George, and Christopher Edley, Jr. "Letter to the President." Affirmative Action Review Report to the President. 19 July 1995. 16 Dec. 2002 <http://clinton2.nara.gov/WH/EOP/OP/html/aa/aa-lett.html>
Loeb, Jane W, Marianne A. Ferber & Helen M. Lowry. (1978) The Effectiveness of Affirmative Action for Women The Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 49, No. 3, 218-230.
If America is to become an equal society, then the direction of affirmative action must be changed. Rather than continuing to focus the brunt of our efforts on helping those individuals near the top succeed, we must implement policies designed to provide opportunities to those individuals at or near the bottom. Specifically, affirmative action must return to its original purpose--helping minorities move into the middle class through programs based upon equality of educational opportunity and job creation.
The outlined goals of affirmative action are what we need for this country. The United States society needs to change the way it sees and treats its citizens. The methods that affirmative action uses, however, are not conducive to ac...
Sacks, David, and Peter Thiel. "The Case Against Affirmative Action." Stanford Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2014.
McKenna, George, and Stanley Feingold. "Does Affirmative Action Advance Racial Equality?" Taking Sides. 18th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2013. N. pag. Print.
Discrimination is still a chronic global issue, and drastic inequalities still exist at the present time. Thus, the Affirmative Action Law is an important tool to many minorities most especially to women, and people of color, for the reason that this program provides an equality on educational, and professional opportunities for every qualified individual living in the United States. Without this program, a higher education would have been impossible for a “minority students” to attain. Additionally, without the Affirmative Action, a fair opportunity to have a higher-level career...
Affirmative action policies were created to help level the playing field in American society. Supporters claim that these plans eliminate economic and social disparities to minorities, yet in doing so, they’ve only created more inequalities. Whites and Asians in poverty receive little to none of the opportunities provided to minorities of the same economic background (Messerli). The burden of equity has been placed upon those who were not fortunate enough to meet a certain school’s idea of “diversity” (Andre, Velasquez, and Mazur). The sole reason for a college’s selectivity is to determine whether or not a student has the credentials to attend that school....
Payne, Angela R., and Bharat S. Thakkar. "The Hypocrisy Of Affirmative Action: Race And The Labor Market." International Journal Of Innovations In Business 1.4 (2012): 274-292. Business Source Premier. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Affirmative action has been a controversial topic ever since it was established in the 1960s to right past wrongs against minority groups, such as African Americans, Hispanics, and women. The goal of affirmative action is to integrate minorities into public institutions, like universities, who have historically been discriminated against in such environments. Proponents claim that it is necessary in order to give minorities representation in these institutions, while opponents say that it is reverse discrimination. Newsweek has a story on this same debate which has hit the nation spotlight once more with a case being brought against the University of Michigan by some white students who claimed that the University’s admissions policies accepted minority students over them, even though they had better grades than the minority students. William Symonds of Business Week, however, thinks that it does not really matter. He claims that minority status is more or less irrelevant in college admissions and that class is the determining factor.