Affirmative action is a way of giving jobs and educational chances to those who many feel would be discriminated against. This was founded in the early 1970's as a way to keep discrimination from continuing in theses such institutions. People of all walks of life have many different views of what affirmative action really is about. My view of this situation is a mixed one.
When affirmative action began it was set fort to make sure that well deserving people could receive opportunities for education and employment based on their qualifications and merit not if the were considered to be a minority. There have been many revisions to affirmative action and some people really don't understand what it is all about. I would be one of these people. Although I know the basics I was not able to get the full understanding of it all, I believe that it still needs to be revised further. In today's society People aren't as discriminated against for being a minority as they once were. Back when affirmative action was brought about desegregation was relatively new and the people of the U.S. as well as the government felt it was needed to further help with desegregation. This was really set to make those that were against desegregation conform to America being the land of the people. Not just the land of the rich white people.since they are considered a minority. Some people in this country disagree with this concept. They believe that American children are suffering because of it in the educational aspect. Schools in many parts of the country must have a certain percentage of minority students. To me this is a double edge sword. It is my belief that minority students should be given just asmuch of a chance to achieve success educationally, I do not believe that college admissions should be solely granted minority status. I believe that this should be based on educational merit in stead. A hard working student is a hard working student no matter what age, sex, or race they are.
Another way that I think that affirmative action should be revised is that many companies allow a percentage of jobs to be held by minorities. But the jobs that are available for minorities are usually low end jobs. This I believe is really unfair. The companies that use this practice are usually the ones to be the first to pat their own backs for fulfilling their "Quota" of minorities.
..., or replaced with a policy based on socioeconomic status. Abolishing affirmative action completely has its disadvantages, for it does not increase diversity on campus. An admission policy favoring first-generation college students helps to increase diversity on campus. However, the purpose of affirmative action should not be to increase diversity on campus; it should be about giving disadvantaged students an opportunity at a better life. A policy based on socioeconomic status does that. Affirmative action must be put to an end and replaced with one of these alternatives. This country was established on the ideals of equality for all races, and affirmative action goes against all these ideals. Martin Luther King once said, “All men are created equal.” The color of someone’s skin should not be a determining factor for admissions into a certain college or university.
Affirmative action started in the 1960’s as a way to end discrimination against African American and later all minorities - including women. By migrating people of all color into workplaces and colleges/universities seemed to be the suitable solution to diversify our nation. Although blacks had been freed for a 100 years, they continually struggled with segregation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned the segregation of all sort in the United States, however that was not enough. Congress mandated the affirmative action program as a plan of desegregation. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy made reference to this plan, but it was not until September 1965 that it was enforced by President Lyndon Johnson. The program affected federal jobs, to include federal contracting company, and universities. In order to receive federal funding, each entity had to hire and enroll minorities. Affirmative action was a good jump start to get our nation to where it is today. However, affirmative action should not be continued because it is a form of discrimination, it is more harmful than helpful, and it supplements race or gender for one’s qualification.
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...
Affirmative action is a term used for policies that are designed to help the effects of past discrimination against minority groups in the United States of America. Here are three reasons why affirmative action needs to be abolished.
Affirmative action is a much debated topic based on the efforts of our government to overcome prejudicial treatment through inclusion. Affirmative action is a way of helping minorities in our country get jobs and avoid racial injustice. Many large companies have increased their employment of minorities after adopting these policies (Plous).
Many individuals do not know the meaning of the term “affirmative action.” In order to clearly understand the issue, one must first know the necessary terms associated with it. Affirmative action is a term given to an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination (i.e. African Americans, Asians, etc.). For example, certain scholarships for African Americans can be regarded as affirmative action opportunities. Another example of affirmative action could be an institutional program designed for African Americans. So why is it important? Affirmative action policies and programs are designed to insure that qualified individuals of minority groups have equal access to programs and are “to par” with other individuals of the same merit. Please note that I said qualified and of the same merit. Affirmative action does not place individuals in minority groups at an advantage. This is a common misconception by some people. Affirmative action can be seen in the college admission process, the promotion process for higher-level positions, and in other various areas. The goal is to
Affirmative Action is a policy in the United States of America. It is in use to help minorities get equal treatment in admissions policies for big businesses and higher educational programs. In one way or another, this policy affects almost every person in America. It affects people directly, and most commonly, indirectly. When this policy affects people, it usually affects them in a negative way. When Affirmative Action first started, it was a descent policy, but with changes in society, it has become a policy that does more harm than good. Since this is what the policy currently does, Affirmative Action should be out of use for every application it has a function for. So, this policy should be out of every law book in America to eliminate the negative impact that it is causing. Affirmative Action is outdated because it is turning into a reverse discrimination policy.
Affirmative action should be abolished because the negatives from the program far outweigh the positives. The program is doing a lot of harm to American society instead of helping.
Affirmative action in theory and in thought is intended to promote the welfare of this country’s minorities by supporting the idea that individuals are equal and should not be judged by race or sex. Therefore, in situations like job and university applications, we should consider minorities to be as feasible a choice for hire as a white male candidate, taking into consideration their background. In short, it tries to give minorities that have been at a disadvantage their whole life, an advantage they have never been open too All things considered, this does not happen. Instead, “quotas” are established and the discrimination that was once placed on the minorities now turns the other way. Let’s make up a hypothetical situation. You are sending in your first college application to Harvard. There is only one spot left open between you and someone who is black. You have slightly better grades, both of you excelled in sports, you have more volunteer hours, and completed 2 foreign languages where he only has one. Applying affirmative action, you would not get the last position because of the need for ethnic diversity in the college atmosphere. Is that fair??? Is that right?? You clearly had a better dossier then him.
The issue of affirmative action has been a controversial one since its inception. The law was developed during the 1960’s as a result of the civil rights movement and the need to address injustices committed against minorities throughout the United States history. There were multiple attempts to correct the inequities between the majority and the various minorities including the 13, 14 and 15th Amendments. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 allowed for the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to create rules to end discrimination. Affirmative action came into being with the executive order 11246 issued by President Johnson. The Civil Rights Act and President Johnson’s executive order have been updated throughout the years to address gender, disabilities, age and other characteristics that could be considered discriminatory.
According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, affirmative action is “an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women.” However, despite its well-intentioned policies, it has been the source of much controversy over the years. Barbara Scott and Mary Ann Schwartz mention that “proponents of affirmative action argue that given that racism and discrimination are systemic problems, their solutions require institutional remedies such as those offered by affirmative action legislation” (298). Also, even though racism is no longer direct, indirect forms still exist in society and affirmative action helps direct. On the other hand, opponents to affirm...
...creasingly diverse labor force. The only downside of affirmative action is specifically focusing on the minority employees. They may be viewed as solely being hired as a result of affirmative action, rather than as equally as accomplished, qualified, and productive. This is demeaning to minorities because it sends them the message that they are not capable enough to be considered on their own merits. However, without the application of equal opportunity programs, minorities and women are more probable to have less access to opportunities, and will affect their goal to become successful in general because they think it will not pay off. With the use of affirmative action, it is imperative to find the appropriate method to level the playing field in order reduce the occurrence of minorities not being viewed as equally qualified when being employed at any company.
The importance of America when it was founded was that it was a new world with new rules. People could come from all over the world and build a better life, regardless of any discriminatory factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Going farther, the rights that were not granted to people in the past could be changed because the constitution left room for improvement to build a better nation. The problem, however, with having so much immigration is there are so many different cultures and different ways of life in this single country that there will always be some form of discrimination. Affirmative action is way to prevent discriminations, both past and present. Affirmative action should stay in place.
Overall, minorities should not be rewarded to high end universities just because they are a certain race. Affirmative action should be abolished because it is unfair to hardworking students that deserve to get into good universities. This policy leads to reverse discrimination, lowers standards, is unconstitutional, and is stereotypical. Why should deserving students be turned away from universities because they simply do not have the right color skin yet they have all the right grades? Affirmative action was created to end discrimination, but it seems it is only creating more.
History has shown countless acts of racial discrimination against African Americans in every part of life. Racism and discrimination still exist and affects most African Americans. When it comes to education and employment, African Americans faced the most discrimination. They are even less likely to get a job and are less likely to attend a University. Affirmative action is a policy that allows favoritism to those that have suffered discrimination. Affirmative action is not a solution to racism yet, a much-needed relief for African Americans. It allows them the possibility of fighting discrimination.