Media plays an essential role in shaping the opinions of society. Writers tend to be selective in the information they provide, manipulating the truth in order to support their own perspective. By placing any given topic under certain light, writers have the power to control the audience’s response and lead them to form an opinion based on their experience with the information. On the other hand, readers have a tendency to readily and automatically accept this information without much thought, despite the possibility that the information they are absorbing is false or biased. Thus, the cycle of perpetuation of misinformation continues; the media feeds the masses false information, and they eat it up.This problem is evident in the topic of affirmative …show more content…
action (AA). Affirmative action is defined as “an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, especially in relation to employment or education,” or more simply put, “positive discrimination”. Countless articles have been published on this controversy, each one painting a different picture of the issue. One article under the title of “Affirmative action is reverse discrimination” (Source A) written by Joseph Connolly argues that AA is simply not fair. Written in 2005, Connolly expresses his opposition towards AA and explains its faults.
Another article titled “The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action” (Source B) by Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor Jr. takes a similar stance, but walks the reader through an alternative route in reaching a conclusion by discussing the negative aspects of AA on minority students. A third article by the name of “Actually, we still need affirmative action for African Americans in college admissions. Here’s why” (Source C) by Valerie Strauss provides input from the other side of the spectrum by arguing that AA is still needed. While source A provides an extremely biased perspective on affirmative action and does little to persuade the audience with its weak language, source B presents a slightly stronger argument against affirmative through its descriptive language and academic tone, which appeals to the reader but fails to address the opposite side of the dispute. However, source C offers the most compelling argument through its thorough analysis of affirmative action that considers both sides of the spectrum with strong diction and formal tone to effectively convey its ideas to the …show more content…
audience. Ultimately, both the reader and the media are equally responsible for the perpetuation of misinformation, as the media provides the bias and the reader decides whether or not to believe it. Written in 2005, Joseph Connolly wrote “Affirmative Action is reverse discrimination” to argue that, though incorporating race into the college admission process benefits minorities, it takes away from other students who are “more qualified” for the school.
While it is more directed towards supporters of AA to convince them of his own standpoint, it is also intended for a general audience. He begins his argument with a statement, “Like the majority of my graduating class, I am applying to college. I am also white (Connolly).” Immediately, one can predict bias in the article. The fact that the author is white is problematic because he has not faced the same discrimination that the minorities of which AA is supposed to benefit have faced. Therefore, his judgement of AA would be clouded by his white-centered perspective. In forming his argument, he proposes a question, “Now imagine that another student, a minority who is perhaps slightly less qualified, is given your place simply because of race. Is this fair? No (Connolly).” In this passage, he uses pathos for the reader to sympathize with him, attempting to place them in his shoes to see more through his perspective. However, he does not present factual information or hard evidence. Rather than addressing the actual debate for AA, he bases his claim on his own opinions and feelings, which does little to strengthen his argument. He also states, “After all, those who currently benefit from rectifying society's oppression of
minorities most likely have not had to experience the discriminatory practices for which it accounts. (Connolly).” This demonstrate the use of a fallacy as he makes a hasty generalization because he draws an illogical conclusion without evidence. His language is also weak and indecisive, which does little in convincing the reader of his standpoint. Furthermore, the article is outdated, and the debate on race has evolved since then. This article proves how the media provides false information, and the reader decides whether or not to feed into it.
Purpose: Michaels has published his claim as he wishes to reveal how he sees the purpose of affirmative action in higher education as a front of racial diversity to hide the lack of any class based affirmative action leaving little opportunity for the very low income. Michaels express great satisfaction in how he see affirmative action used basically allowing the rich to triumph while looking like everything is fine and diverse.
The Earth is one big ball that is full of mistakes and flaws. Many people take initiative and send out a message through their writings. The article In Praise of the F word, by Mary Sherry, reflects on the school system. Sherry utilizes her passionate tone, pathos, and personal experience to sway the reader to follow along in her beliefs. In Affirmative Action: The Price of Preference, by Shelby Steele, Steele preys on readers by using ethos, pathos, and a sturdy tone to appeal to her readers. Though both writers present valid arguments and interest, as a reader, I believe that Steele’s argument was stronger within her essay.
3.The term Affirmative action has played a huge role in the past one hundred years of American politics. It is simply defined as an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer. Civil Rights of American citizens have drastically changed because of Affirmative action. With almost anything in politics, there is a debate for and against Affirmative action. Supporters of this say that this helps encourage e...
“The New Jim Crow” is an article by Michelle Alexander, published by the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law. Michelle is a professor at the Ohio State Moritz college of criminal law as well as a civil rights advocate. Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law is part of the world’s top education system, is accredited by the American Bar Association, and is a long-time member of the American Law association. The goal of “The New Jim Crow” is to inform the public about the issues of race in our country, especially our legal system. The article is written in plain English, so the common person can fully understand it, but it also remains very professional. Throughout the article, Alexander provides factual information about racial issues in our country. She relates them back to the Jim Crow era and explains how the large social problem affects individual lives of people of color all over the country. By doing this, Alexander appeals to the reader’s ethos, logos, and pathos, forming a persuasive essay that shifts the understanding and opinions of all readers.
majority, does not advance the cause of minorities in a meaningful way, and needs to be
Affirmative action, the act of giving preference to an individual for hiring or academic admission based on the race and/or gender of the individual has remained a controversial issue since its inception decades ago. Realizing its past mistake of discriminating against African Americans, women, and other minority groups; the state has legalized and demanded institutions to practice what many has now consider as reverse discrimination. “Victims” of reverse discrimination in college admissions have commonly complained that they were unfairly rejected admission due to their race. They claimed that because colleges wanted to promote diversity, the colleges will often prefer to accept applicants of another race who had significantly lower test scores and merit than the “victims”. In “Discrimination and Disidentification: The Fair-Start Defense of Affirmative Action”, Kenneth Himma responded to these criticisms by proposing to limit affirmative action to actions that negate unfair competitive advantages of white males established by institutions (Himma 277 L. Col.). Himma’s views were quickly challenged by his peers as Lisa Newton stated in “A Fair Defense of a False Start: A Reply to Kenneth Himma” that among other rationales, the Fair-Start Defense based on race and gender is a faulty justification for affirmative action (Newton 146 L. Col.). This paper will also argue that the Fair-Start Defense based on race and gender is a faulty justification for affirmative action because it cannot be fairly applied in the United States of America today. However, affirmative action should still be allowed and reserved for individuals whom the state unfairly discriminates today.
Recently the merits of a race based admission policy to colleges and universities have come under scrutiny by the American public. Take into account the position of black conservatives, who feel that affirmative action merely perpetuates a system of preference in reverse and does nothing to fix the problems African Americans face in lower educational programs. When looking at the arguments of the Black conservatives and comparing them to the view points of the opposition, a certain conclusion may be reached.
The genre of this article is an editorial. When the audience reads an editorial, they know there is going to be strong opinions and most likely some bias. With the genre of an editorial, though, readers are going to observe phrases and opinions authors would not use in other genres. An example of this is where The Editorial Board says “They are not asserting that black lives are more precious than white lives. They are underlining an indisputable fact — that the lives of black citizens in this country historically have not mattered, and have been discounted and devalued.” (Editorial Board, screen 4) Throughout the article, The Editorial Board included ethos, logos, and pathos in various ways. The Editorial Board represents itself very well and seems to have impeccable credentials and authority. The Editorial Board seems very trustworthy because of the members’ credentials and how publicized The Editorial Board’s editorials are. In the article, facts and evidence are found periodically, meaning that the article is factual to an extent. The Editorial Board presents more facts and evidence that are in support of African Americans than Caucasians, meaning that there is some bias in this article. There are some direct observations included in the logos also. The Editorial Board attempts to invoke an emotional response by saying “The movement sought a cross-racial appeal, but at every step of the way used
Some feel that affirmative action in universities is the answer to the end of racism and inequality. If more black students get into and graduate from good colleges, more of them will go on to even out the lopsided numbers in the work force. Prejudice secretly slips through everyone¹s thoughts. Or so Barbara Ehrenreich believes when she writes of a quiet, subliminal prejudice that is caused by statistics that prove the fewer numbers of blacks in high profile jobs. When we see ninety percent of leadership roles in the corporate world held by white men, we begin to doubt other¹s competence in that field. With so many minorities in menial roles, people begin to believe the white man is best for ...
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.
Today there is considerable disagreement in the country over Affirmative Action with the American people. MSNBC reported a record low in support for Affirmative Action with 45% in support and 45% opposing (Muller, 2013). The affirmative action programs have afforded all genders and races, exempting white males, a sense of optimism and an avenue to get the opportunities they normally would not be eligible for. This advantage includes admission in colleges or hiring preferences with public and private jobs; although Affirmative Action has never required quotas the government has initiated a benefits program for the schools and companies that elect to be diversified. The advantages that are received by the minorities’ only take into account skin color, gender, disability, etc., are what is recognized as discriminatory factors. What is viewed as racism to the majority is that there ar...
The discrimination against Caucasian and Asian American students a long with the toleration of lower quality work produced by African American students and other minority students is an example of the problems caused by Affirmative Action. Although affirmative action intends to do good, lowering the standards by which certain racial groups are admitted to college is not the way to solve the problem of diversity in America's universities. The condition of America's public schools is directly responsible for the poor academic achievement of minority children. Instead of addressing educational discrepancies caused by poverty and discrimination, we are merely covering them up and pretending they do not exist, and allowing ourselves to avoid what it takes to make a d... ... middle of paper ... ...
Known as one of the biggest obstacles in higher education to date would arguably be the use of affirmative action within the higher education admission process for both private and public institutions (Kaplin & Lee, 2014; Wang & Shulruf, 2012). The focus of current research is an attempt to either justify or deny the use of affirmative action within current practices through various higher education institutions, and though any one person could potentially be swayed to side with the rationale to maintain its use or disregard, the facts are quite clear that the future of this practice is unclear. Therefore, this essay will present current research in an attempt to determine if affirmative action should continue to be used within college admission decisions.
The use of media has always been very tactical and representative of a statement or purpose. The issue of race has always been a topic of immaculate exploration through different forms of media. Mediated topics such as race, gender, and class have always been topics represented in the media as a form of oppression. The widely use of media surrounds the globe extensively as the public is bombarded with media daily. There are many different types of media that circulates the public making it widely available to anyone. Media can hold an immense amount of power as it can distort the manner in which people understand the world. In our society the media creates the dominant ideology that is to be followed for centuries in the classifications of race, gender, and class. Media can be a powerful tool to use to display a message which, is how “…the media also resorts to sensationalism whereby it invents new forms of menace” (Welch, Price and Yankey 36). Media makers and contributors take advantage of the high power that it possesses and begin to display messages of ideologies that represent only one dominant race or gender. It became to be known as the “dominant ideology of white supremacy” for many and all (Hazell and Clarke 6).
One problem that plagues us everyday without us even realizing it is media bias. We see it in the news. We see it on our favorite sitcoms. We read it everyday in the paper. Yet, we really don't recognize it when we hear it or see it. Media bias is evident in every aspect of the media, yet the problem is that we don't even recognize it when it is right in front of our faces. Are the impressions that we form about individuals a product of the media? Do we form certain opinions about particular types of people based solely on the things we see and hear in the media everyday without even realizing it? The problem is not only that there is media bias present, but also that we can't recognize it when we see it.