The Issue of Affirmative Action Essay - 816 Words

The Issue of Affirmative Action A major controversy encompassing the country is the issue of affirmative action. Many believe that the abolition, or at least restructure, of affirmative action in the United States will benefit the nation for many logical reasons. Originally, affirmative action began as an attempt to eliminate discrimination and provide a source of opportunity; affirmative action did not begin as an attempt to support just minorities and women. In addition, affirmative action naturally creates resentment when the less qualified are preferred instead of the people actually deserve the admission or job. Another reason that has existed since the abolition of slavery is the myth that women and ?minorities? cannot compete†¦show more content†¦There are three applicants for the job offering. One applicant is a white male age 35 who has six years of on the job experience. The other three are an Asian female, black male, and white female. Two of these minority applicants have no practical experie nce and the other only a few years. In order for the company to meet the quota, the company must automatically reject the white male and only look at the other three applicants. The company now is no longer looking for good experienced employees; instead, they are trying to appear fair. This so called ?equal opportunity? is not what it says. This means that they provide ?equal opportunity for minorities.? They are now discriminating against majorities, which goes against the original initiative for civil rights. Affirmative action is actually dividing the country into two different racial categories: all minorities against the majority. This causes severe resentment towards those minorities who are less qualified yet are preferred because they feel sympathy or pity towards them. When trying to apply and qualify for scholarships an applicant will find that the majority of the scholarships are for minority or specific race only descendants. This disqualifies everyone who needs the sch olarship, but was not born under a certain type of ancestry. One major misunderstanding encompassing the people today is the myth that women and other ?minorities? cannot compete withShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Affirmative Action Essay1667 Words   |  7 Pagesthe content of their character† for this reason affirmative action in higher education admission should be altered for it creates a perpetually racial preference in admission. Affirmative action is controversial due it s issue of whether the generation of today should pay for the past injustices done to certain ethnicities. It questions the constitutionality of its existence and whether it perpetuates racial discrimination. Although affirmative action is a great start in promoting diversity and exposingRead MoreThe Issue Of Affirmative Action2006 Words   |  9 Pagesultimate goal for our generation. We want to see equal opportunities for everyone regardless of sex, race, or nationality. The term affirmative action has been the center of national debate in the recent history with liberals, both black and white, arguing that affirmative action levels the playing field and makes up for historical prejudice and discrimination. Affirmative action means minorities that are any underrepresented group defined by race, ethnicity, or gender are preferably admitted to universitiesRead MoreThe Issue Of Affirmative Action950 Words   |  4 Pages On the contrary, s upports of affirmative action feel that this law is still needed in America to help places of higher education have more diversity which will benefit companies in the long run and it also helps companies be more diverse and it helps them thrive. In the past few decades the number of minorities and females in places of higher education and companies have been rising at a slow rate. During 2012, the health care industry was suffering from lack of medical personal in the medicalRead MoreLegal Issues Of Affirmative Action1528 Words   |  7 Pagesmust be familiar with legal obligations in regards to their diversity efforts policies in order to be fully compliant and successful in their endeavors. Legal Issues Pertaining to Diversity in Higher Education Today When addressing legal issues of diversity in the modern day era, one main topic is brought to discussion, affirmative action. It was put into place by the federal government in the 1960’s and was initially developed to close the gap in relation to the privileged majority and the unprivilegedRead MoreWhy Is Affirmative Action Such a Divisive Issue?2126 Words   |  9 PagesAFFIRMATIVE ACTION: WHY IS AFFIRMATIVE ACTION SUCH A DIVISIVE ISSUE? Affirmative Action: Why is Affirmative Action Such a Divisive Issue? Introduction â€Å"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of it’s creed: â€Å" We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.† Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King stated this in his famous â€Å"I have a Dream† speech in Washington, D.C. in 1963. Is affirmative action still necessary in UnitedRead Moreaffirmative action1695 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Abstract What is affirmative action? Affirmative action is an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, esp. in relation to employment or education; positive discrimination. In the 1940s: President Roosevelt signed an order making discrimination illegal in defense contracting. 1954: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that separate but equal facilities on the basis of race were unconstitutionally discriminatory. The Act of 1964: CongressRead MoreThe Most Important Social Issue in America Today870 Words   |  4 PagesSocial issues have plagued the women and minorities of our country for decades upon decades, degrading them as if emotions and morals were not evident amongst them. The article entitled Affirmative Action states that as representation of minorities and women became more and more necessary, a movement called affirmative action became an important issue. Affirmative action is not limited to the uplifting of certain genders an d races, but it focuses on establishing standards of certain ethicalRead MoreEssay about Affirmative Action1384 Words   |  6 PagesAffirmative Action has been an issue of contention since its inception during the Civil Rights struggles of mid 20th century America. Discrimination could no longer be tolerated and the Unites States government had an obligation to encourage equality at all levels of the social infrastructure. The main type of discrimination being addressed by Affirmative Action programs was racial discrimination. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines racism as: ‘a belief that race is the primary determinant ofRead MoreAffirmative Action1559 Words   |  7 PagesRESEARCH PAPER AFFIRMATIVE ACTION INTRODUCTION Affirmative Action is an employment legislation protection system that is intended to address the systemized discrimination faced by women and minorities. It achieves this by enforcing diversity through operational intrusions into recruitment, selection, and other personnel functions and practices in America. Originally, Affirmative Action arose because of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s desire to integrate society on educationalRead MoreAffirmative Action: Equality for All? Essay1741 Words   |  7 PagesAffirmative Action: Equality for All? Affirmative action in the United States has become a misused and misguided practice in modern times. In the current form of affirmative action, it is impossible to create a truly equal society. It was originally used as an equal opportunity measure to allow qualified minorities into positions they were denied because of race. However, affirmative action has become a system of racial quotas that lowers standards for minority applicants in order to give them