Pros And Cons Of Affirmative Action

Pros And Cons Of Affirmative Action
Affirmative action was created on March 6, 1961 by president John F. Kennedy and has since then expanded into a heated debate. Affirmative action
was first established as a result of the Civil Rights Movement to grant equal opportunities for minority groups in the United States. Affirmative action
can be seen as a compensatory measure to a racially discriminated group in a cultures history. It is very easy for someone to become involved in a
debate about affirmative action because we live in a society where racial discrimination is seen often. Racial injustice can be seen first hand or on
television with programs such as the news that heavily publicize racial inequality events.
Affirmative action has both positive and negatives and great arguments...show more content...
Universities should not compromise on someone who is sufficicently good, instead university policies should also search for excellence when
admitting students into their institutions. By accepting students who are just good students aren't being pushed into performing better in their
academics.Teri writes "women and non whote men will not perform at the optimum level as long as long as they expect to be given preference
anyway. (TERI) pg 3 MERIT NOT RACE Another important point that Pojman makes is that propertial representation of underrepresented groups
in sports such as the national basketball association in which blacks make up 80% of the players are solely based on merit and how good they are
and not based on race or ethnicity (POJMAN). Because of the statistic provided by Pojman education should be valued the same way and only choose
those who have the exact competencies and have shown academic excellence.Another reason why affirmative action is rejected and seen as a negative
program is because the work of minorities can be diminished. "These critics of affirmative action point out that selecting someone purely based on their
ethnicity or origin actually devalues the person's real accomplishments; they also say that this devaluation ends up hurting the wider ethnic or racial
group from which a candidate comes." Debate.org This quote suggests that work of
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Affirmative Action Pros And Cons
The arguments of Allan Bloom, are contending, based on many years of teaching at Cornell and the University of Chicago, that "affirmative action
now institutionalizes the worst aspects of racial separatism." This programs goal is to help develop more diverse campuses, but also helps
underprivileged and underrepresented minorities achieve extra help into admission at schools where before they would have not been considered.
Affirmative action helps Hispanics, African Americans, and Native Americans; majority of these students with equally if not higher qualifications are
being hurt. Caucasians and other non–minority students are being denied because colleges are pushing for more diverse campuses. Affirmative action
leads to the denial of a...show more content...
Whites are required to meet all admissions requirements at colleges to even be considered at being admitted, which leaves them at a disadvantage to
others. Minority students receive a heavy bulk of scholarships and receive special treatment in the admissions steps. "African–American and Hispanic,
cannot gain admission to many colleges and universities solely on the basis of their academic preparation" (Chace). Test scores are a factor that
shows some African Americans are being accepted due to race. Being accepted on race is not fair to students who test high scores and then get
declined because they are white. "In critical reading African–American students scored, on average, 83 points below Asian–American students, who in
turn scored less well, by 15 points, than white students" (Chace). William Chace is both President and Professor of English Emeritus at Emory
University as well as Honorary Professor of English Emeritus at Stanford University. He conducted his research on test scores between races and it
proves that race is sometimes the only reason minorities get into a university. "If a black and a white have the same test scores and prior grades, the
black will, on average, do about a third to two thirds of a standard deviation worse in later academic performance than the white" (Klitgaard). A student
whose grades and academic work is

The Pros And Cons Of Affirmative Action
My essay paper will discuss the different viewpoints regarding affirmative action definition in Merriam–Webster definition affirmative action an active
effort to improve the employment or educational opportunity of members of minority groups and women also similar effort to promote the right or
progress of other disadvantage persons. A recent article of the University of Brasilia implementedaffirmative action for students applying under to
increase their chances of being admitted as well as those who are not. The controversial when students try to take advantage of being black but act like
victims to get what they want.
In contrast America with its one drop rule drew a shape color line between white and black....show more content...
Many universities have a low enrollment due to fact that Black or Hispanics given greater opportunity for better education if the affirmative action
didn't exist what will happen to minorities further their educational goals.
A recent article Louisiana Weekly titled Silence the Anti
–Affirmative Action a student graduate with 3.8 grade point average was denied admission to
University of Florida.
In the article states that affirmative action should be banned the student lost a spot to an applicant that was a minority because he had better grade
point average than her but because of race he was admitted to the college. She filed her case to the
Supreme Court the results the university point system for undergraduate admission was unconstitutional. Her point of view is the same as to many of
those against affirmative action that race shouldn't be indicative as to whether or not you should be admitted to a university. My view is your
accomplishments and grades should speak for yourself whether or not you in a miniority group.
My conclusion is should they ban affirmative action and make African American as

When affirmative action was stated in the early 1960's, when President John F. Kennedy was in office. This was too confirmed that all people are
utilized, and workers were properly treated with respect to their race, creed, color, and national origin (). In the job market injustice was towards
qualified minorities, rather by their gender, race, and disabilities.
Affirmative action began as a simple idea to develop an equal opportunity for all people in employment. Most employers of companies set a minimum
amount of job opportunity for certain people, every one was not promoted for their job efforts. It's funny how most Americans supported affirmative
action, but disagree about giving the minority a slap on the back of the wrist because they

I.
Affirmative action is not discrimination, but rather an ethical vehicle for removing its systemic effects.
II.
Affirmative action can be defined as (bias–free) actions or policies favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination or who have been
historically excluded, especially in areas of employment or education, aiming to reduce the racist or sexist impact of previous unjust or prejudicial
treatment (Fullinwider). Creating a "level playing field" for underrepresented groups, typically women and minorities, that have been the victims of
some kind of discrimination in the past, is the goal of (the preferential treatment involved in affirmative action. A differentiation between preferential
and procedural affirmative action should be noted. Preferential affirmative action is the unethical and in some cases immoral favorable treatment based
on ethnicity or gender. Procedural affirmative action is special measures taken to reduce racial and sexual discrimination, and is usually considered
ethical. (Pojman) This paper seeks to discuss the latter point. Discrimination is usually associated with social injustice, in particular, improper criteria,
usually race or gender distinctions, used as a basis for preferential treatment. Such discrimination is most evident in the workplace and institutions of
higher learning. For an action to be considered discriminatory in this manner it is likely derived from a morally unjustified attitude, is not based on
individual merit,

Affirmative action opens the door to diversity in a job or educational setting that would not normally be there. Not only did the diversity increase but it
increased at a fast pace. Woman and minorities are usually the ones that are left at a disadvantage when in comes to having equal opportunities. There
are specific jobs and universities that a minority or woman would be intimidated to apply for. Affirmative action gives them the confidence to consider
these places that they would have never considered before. Lets face it, there is still plenty of discrimination and stereotyping that goes on in our
society. Affirmative action gives this group of individuals the push they need to be on the same level as everyone else. This action can

In the fifty–four years since its inception, affirmative action (a term first used by President John F. Kennedy) has been both praised for its progressive
implications and critiqued for its lack of effectiveness. Affirmative action is the policy of favoring applicants from a minority group considered to be
underprivileged or at a disadvantage. Traditional affirmative action refers to policies that favor applicants based on race and gender in direct defiance
of the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Though it was imagined as being a temporary cure meant to level the playing field by
bringing up those who were disadvantaged, it instead ended up holding down many who were more suitable in the hopes that others would catch...show
more content...
At times, guidelines were necessary in order to force businesses to even allow people of color to be hired or promoted, such as in the 1987 case of
United States vs. Paradise wherein the State of Alabama Department of Public Safety was systematically discriminating against blacks to the point
of never hiring them and despite over a decade of lawsuits, never promoting the ones they were forced to hire. However, there have been multiple
instances of affirmative action denying qualified individuals from obtaining jobs and even causing people to be fired in order to hire minorities to
keep up with necessary percentages of diversity. One of the most high profile cases is Wygant vs. Jackson Board of Education in which the board of
education in Jackson, Mississippi implemented a policy that gave minorities preferential treatment when deciding who to get rid of in the event of
layoffs. As a result of this policy, multiple teachers were laid off despite having greater seniority compared to their minority counterparts that were
allowed to stay. As a result of this discriminatory decision, Wendy Wygant, one of the displaced non
–minority teachers, challenged the layoff in the
District Court. The District Court decided that the policy was permissible in order to make up for past

Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action Essay
Analytical Paper 3 – Affirmative Action
Introduction
According to Raymond A. Noe, affirmative action is an organization's active effort to find opportunities to hire or promote people in a particular group
(Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 68). There are various arguments for and against affirmative action. Some believe that it gives certain
groups of people an equal opportunity to find employment where they would otherwise be kicked under the rug. Others believe that even though it
creates an opportunity for minority groups, the issue of reverse discrimination comes into play where once predominantly white male jobs offerings go
to women and minority groups instead. The topic of affirmative action remains very controversial and...show more content...
I know it is a big selling point for college admissions, but...
What advantages and disadvantages do affirmative action really provide?
In order to answer these questions it is necessary to lay out the pros and cons of implementing affirmative action.
Pros
One of the most obvious key takeaways of affirmative action is the diversity that is desirable in the workplace. Students and business professionals in
the workforce alike are more than likely going to work with someone of a different race or nationality. Integration and the removal of segregation laws
have proven to be very influential in understanding the true character behind a person not of the same skin color or ethnicity. These characteristics
would put an end to the reliance of crude stereotypes that would otherwise diminish any objectivity in the treatment of that person. In this sense, it
would seem unimaginable to live without affirmative action. Otherwise, history would be prone to repeat itself. Aside from the most straightforward
advantage of diversity, affirmative action also opens up new opportunities for minorities.
As a testament to the next discussion point of opportunities, especially within the realm of college admission, I have experienced firsthand the
opportunities presented by affirmative action. As a low–income, first–generation college student, Virginia Tech had offered me a full scholarship based
solely on merit and financial need. As a "minority" according to Virginia Tech, I had an

The Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action Essay
Affirmative action has been the topic of debate for many years. It has been controversial because it has been said to be a form of reverse
discrimination. This paper will discuss the purpose behind affirmative action, as well as, its various strengths and weaknesses. Also, this paper will look
at the following issues surrounding affirmative action such as the incompetency myth ( are companies hiring less qualified people?), the impact on
employment (what has changed in the work place?), the impact on women (how have their lives changed?) and the impact on employment law (what
documents back up affirmative action?). Lastly, a discussion of affirmative action on an international scale, and what international documents have to
say about...show more content...
(Goldman, 1976, p. 181) An affirmative action program is a management tool designed to ensure equal employment opportunity. A central premise
underlying affirmative action is that, absent discrimination, over time a contractor's workforce, generally, will reflect the gender, racial and ethnic
profile of the labour pools from which the contractor recruits and selects.
This section will be outlining the weaknesses of affirmative action or the arguments against it. Affirmative Action is supposed to be a program
designed to end racism, but isn't it really justifying racism by its own actions. Its policies judge people solely on skin color and gender. That is
discrimination in itself. Is discrimination the solution to resolving past discrimination? No, it's not. No program can be considered good when it
hurts others. Affirmative Action tried to help minorities and women, but in the process, reverse discrimination has taken place. Now, white males
are discriminated against. This can not be an affirmative program if there is a form of discrimination involved. Instead of choosing a candidate for
a job or for school admission, because of one's color or gender, it should be because of their talents and abilities. The best any colored male or female
should be selected for the job, or to get accepted into school. Why should some people get special preferences over

Affirmative action is when college's choose somebody to join their colleges based on their race. This means that the kid that has the best college
application could still not get into that college because of their race. Journalists all over the world try to argue the side of using or not using affirmative
action. Affirmative Action should not be used in colleges because it is reverse discrimination, it sets up kids for failure, and it is biased.
Affirmative action should not be used in colleges because it is reverse discrimination. The article Race Matters Taqee Vernon says, " African
americans were oppressed, first by slavery and then by racial discrimination. So using race as a factor in college admissions, he says, is only fair "
(Liptak.) African Americans may have been discriminated in the past but, if affirmative action is used, it will be reverse discrimination towards
whites. If this happens, it will be a repeat of what happened in years past. President John F Kennedy said, " It has since come to refer to policies
intended to compensate for the effects of past discrimination" (Liptak). In the past, african americans were discriminated because of their race. They
had to use different bathrooms, water fountains, and go to different schools. Many people believe this was unfair however, they want to do the same
thing by using affirmative action for college admission. This quote is saying that because blacks were discriminated in the past, to make up for it

Affirmative Action
A Short Discussion of Affirmative Action В– Pros and Cons.
Affirmative Action programming is seen by some as a mechanical remedy to past social conditions that penalized minority member applicants for
employment, women, or persons with disabilities. In the United States, Affirmative Action has been seen as compensation for the exclusion of the
African American community, in particular, and has been hoped to create upward mobility for more members of this sector. In this sense,Affirmative
Action may have much encouraged individuals to strive for education, training or employment of kinds they would not have thought accessible, in past
generations. Similarly, women have been helped by Affirmative Action to know that their
...show more content...
Affirmative Action has not proven very successful in countering the evils of racism, either, where it is entrenched, for some human beings will forever
view Affirmative Action as a form of racism that happens to discriminate against white male persons. Indeed, in some instances, Affirmative Action has
been showed to function as a form of exclusive discrimination, all its own, as in the realization that white male applicants to the University of
California at Berkeley had been penalized by the presence of the university's long dedication to Affirmative Action. (Rosin: 1995) Affirmative Action
has been a stopgap solution in terms of creating social diversity but cannot replace a thorough attempt at public education and encouraging mixing
across racial and class lines that is needed in order to remove perhaps generations of ignorant, divisive thinking. A needed В‘spiritual' approach is
described in Nathan Rutstein's essay, "A Prescription for the Disease", in Healing Racism in America. (1993) Rutstein prescribes a grassroots
movement for America that will involve daily efforts on the part of every citizen to serve in ways the remove barriers between groups, at large,
promote inclusion as opposed to exclusion, and generally, break down walls between citizens and groups that have created once severe divisions and
distinctions. When examined, positively,

Affirmative action, what is it? If you've listened to the news recently it's been a hot topic. But does everyone fully understand what it is? Affirmative
action refers to the favoring of minorities in certain areas, in this case college admissions. Most schools require an applying student to fill out their
race on their application. No big deal right? It's what they do with that information that causes the real issue. The admissions office at a school looks
over these applications and determines which are accepted or rejected. However, if you're a student at the lower end for test scores or GPA and are a
minority, you have a much greater chance of getting accepted than a caucasian person in the same situation. If we continue to enforce affirmative
action within the admissions process of colleges and universities, then the success rates of students will continue to decrease.
Affirmative action causes the "mismatch" effect for students and schools. According to an article written by The Atlantic, the "mismatch" effect refers
to the mismatching of students to a certain college or university (theatlantic.com). When students are accepted into a school that's not their level
academic wise, they "take on the challenge" and attend anyway. However, it's so far from a fit that they fall instead of rise in their education. A quote
from an article written by Elizabeth Slattery goes as follows, "Academic mismatch perpetuates low grades and high dropout rates for minority students
who need a racial preference to gain admission." (dailysignal.com). It's important for students to enter into a college where they will succeed if they
want to get the most out of their education. The mismatch effect causing students who are accepted into schools where they don't fit academically to
fall behind and struggle much more than a student who was prepared for the school. The reason the student is struggling is because they may not have
been prepared enough in high school to handle the workload of that school. It's not that they aren't capable, they're just not fully prepared. "The student
who would flourish at, say, Wake Forest, instead finds himself at Duke, where the professors are not teaching at a pace designed for him."

Affirmative Action – Argument When you hear affirmative action, your view on the subject often depends upon your race or religious background.
Many have very different perspectives of the subject involving affirmative action, causing many growing concerns and unjustifiable fairness throughout
the country. This epidemic not only effects the college you had hoped to go to, but it also affects the dream job you been striving to accomplish.
Affirmative action often leads to countless debates and minor headaches, it's very common that a white person would be against affirmative action
because they're more deeply impacted by it.
"Take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed,
color, or national origin." – John F Kennedy. In 1961, affirmative action seemed as if it was the true ending of racialdiscrimination in job and schools.
It was a way to add diversity across the whole nation, making it both justified and fixable for everyone. However, decades that followed by, affirmative
action became synonymous with "reverse discrimination" as whites began to resent opportunities afforded nonwhites. It wasn't until the late 1970's that
court...show more content...
Yes, UT did accept approximately 47 students who had slightly lower grades and whose applications differed from hers in other criteria's– of those 47
students, 42 were black. Because Ms. Fisher could not prove that she would have been accepted otherwise, her lawyers would argue the injury
occurred when the University of Texas considered her race. For the sake of diversity, many like Ms. Fisher, were not accepted over an unqualified
applicant that didn't meet the required policies it took to get into the

Affirmative Action, as it is, should cease in the college setting, and colleges should not weigh race heavily in the application process. "Public backlash
and mismatches between students and institutions" (Swenson) are just a couple of the problems that arise when race is taken too heavily into
consideration. Also, by implementing affirmative action laws and quotas, universities and colleges are overlooking other, equally important factors such
as academic achievement and socioeconomic status, as well as depriving themselves of the opportunity to admit smarter, more intelligent, and more
well–rounded students. Proponents of Affirmative Action state that it is necessary in order to ensure that minority groups have an equal chance to get
a quality education as other Americans. However, equality is not achieved by looking at the color of one's skin. In fact, affirmative action directly
contradicts the goals of the civil rights movement. The leaders of the civil rights movement hoped for a day when people would "not be judged by the
color of their skin but by the content of their character." (King) By imposing quotas and point systems in college...show more content...
Because colleges and universities are required to admit a certain percentage of people from different races, many institutions are forced to admit people
that are underqualified in order to increase the racial diversity of campuses, resulting in high dropout rates for minorities. "Failure certainly places a
hardship on the individual student; but to the extent that it reinforces negative stereotypes among whites, it is even more troubling." (Kahlenberg) By
eliminating affirmative action and focusing on merit, admittance counselors can choose the students most likely to succeed in their school, and can
eliminate the prejudices that arise from admitting lesser qualified

Affirmative Action–the consideration of race in college admissions–allows colleges to admit students based on their race to increase campus diversity,
even if their academic standing is not as high as other students applying to the university. It is widely regarded that minorities are underrepresented in
higher education, and while this may be historically accurate, there is a new group that is losing the benefits of higher education–lower class students.
Students coming from lower class families are often deprived of educational opportunities, not because they are of lower intelligence, but because they
simply cannot afford to attend college. By making college more affordable for these low income students, colleges can increase diversity...show more
content...
In 2003 the court heard the case of Grutter v Bollinger, deciding 5–4 in favor of the affirmative action practices in place at the University of Michigan
law school. In the majority opinion, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor writes, "We [The Supreme Court] expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial
preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today." This substantiates the belief that affirmative action was never intended
to be a permanent concept, and needs to be replaced by a system that works for the 21st

"An action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, especially in relation to employment or education; positive discrimination."
This is known as affirmative action. Affirmative action has been beneficial to many countries when trying to provide equity and justice for everyone,
but in recent times it has more adverse effects than advantageous. Most notably in college admissions and in the workforce, it is now seen as unfair
when minorities who received a sound upbringing due to equal opportunity policies, can also take advantage of affirmative action by gaining a position
they did not earn. Although affirmative action policies have decreased since when they first started, measures should be taken to erase them entirely.
The term "affirmative action" was coined by John F. Kennedy during the African–American civil rights movement. Through affirmative action,
Kennedy's goal was to establish racial diversity in the government's workforce that most closely resembled the proportions of the various ethnic groups
in America. After Kennedy was assassinated, due to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, organizations outside of the government started to carry out
affirmative action. Title VI outlawed any kind of discrimination in federal programs or government–funded events. Title VII built on Title VI to include
that, in certain conditions, religion, sex, and national origin can be considered in hiring a candidate. Title VII was the first to address employment equity

Affirmative Action is nothing but discrimination wrapped up in a pretty box and it does no good to anyone. Now I know that this is a rather bold
statement, so let me explain. Affirmative Action is when you give someone preference when they are applying for college or a job based on their race
or gender, but it's okay because they are a minority. Now this makes affirmative action discriminatory by its very nature. What's worse is that
Affirmative Action promotes the racist attitude that minorities are incapable of getting the jobs or getting into college on their own. Now even putting
racism aside, isn't this a rather condescending attitude to say, "Oh you poor thing let me put you in here you didn't earn it put that's ok I feel sorry for
you?"

Affirmative action is a discriminatory idea that individuals deserve acceptance or priority based on race rather than merit. Very often when colleges
are deciding on which students get accepted, better qualified applicants are passed over in favor of students who are African American or Hispanic. The
Department of Justice recently decided that they would look into the racism concerning affirmative action policies in college admissions. People may
be unaware that the groups of people affirmative action hurts most are actually minorities as well, such as Jews and Asian–Americans.
Affirmative action has done nothing to better minority academic or personal interests. As a matter of fact, the people who affirmative action tries to
help are actually

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is a law, policy and action for those who tend to suffer discrimination and promote equal opportunity. Also affirmative action is
associated to positive discrimination for example race, gender, and/or disabilities. Provides more opportunities and increases diversity in people.
Affirmative action helps people with different gender to find jobs, to find schools or to participate in political life. This act helps a lot of people when
they are looking for employment or if they are employees, who the treat them because of race, creed, color, or national origin. In an action that insures
the diversity that is obtained and maintained in schools and in the workplace.
Some pros for affirmative action are: Affirmative action ensures representation of minorities and disadvantaged groups in positions of authority. These
representatives can function as inspiring role...show more content...
Sometimes people that fulfill the basic criteria for a job or a vacancy in a university may not be accepted (as in the aforementioned Bakke case).
These policies may increase racial or ethnic tensions. The members of a group may develop a negative attitude towards a minority if they perceive that
due to positive discrimination they are being excluded or see their chances of getting some jobs or positions limited. Positive discrimination can be
very difficult to apply in societies where ethnic divides are not very clear and people often have mixed backgrounds. Sometimes it is argued that
these policies or laws serve to reinforce the separation and division among different groups. In some countries it is even illegal to classify people
according to their race or ethnic background for this same reason. The basic criteria to define the groups reached by these policies and the quotas
allocated or type of preferential treatment are often

Pros And Cons Of Affirmative Action

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