Affirmative Action is Harmful to Society Essay - 1805 Words

In the controversial realms of affirmative action, the largest issue staunchly fought over is whether minorities should be given preferential treatment in the workplace and in the schools. One side declares that those in the minority group need and deserve governmental aid so that they will be on equal footing with the majority group. Opponents of affirmative action point out that setting apart groups based on their race or ethnicity is purely racism and can lead to reverse discrimination. I am against affirmative action for the aforementioned reasons, and would not consider such racism as necessary for creating a healthy society, as proponents would insist. It is my belief that affirmative action today is out of date and is†¦show more content†¦Instead, the opposite appears to have happened. When the emphasis is placed on aiding people with certain skin colors or ethnic backgrounds, affirmative action sets the races further apart than before. Could this be just another form of segregation? The attempts at boosting minorities to the level of the others have grotesquely failed. To raise minorities the government has pushed down the majority group, fueling racial conflicts. In addition, lowering the bar for minorities for admission into jobs or schools has created a harmful atmosphere for them. Because some of them could not originally qualify on merit and skills, many face failure or extra hardship when they get ushered into their job or school. As Charles T. Canady said in his speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D. C., Preferences do nothing to help develop the skills necessary for the economic and social advancement of the disadvantaged (43). Meanwhile the majorities receive punishment because of their lack of a specific skin tone or origin. Entitlements by race, sex, ethnicity and sexual orientation-categories that in no way reflect merit- Shelby Steele described, are at the root of the great social evils in American life (175). It is un fair to reward or turn away applicants because of something that is only theirs by ascribed means. When prospective college students or job applicants are considered, the competition should be solely basedShow MoreRelatedArgumentation-Persuasion Essay Affirmative Action1494 Words   |  6 PagesArgumentation-Persuasion Essay Affirmative Action Ronald Spears 16 March 2012 Constitution Law Bonnie Ronson Wiregrass Tech. College Online Abstract: The terms affirmative action refer to policies that take race, ethnicity, or gender into consideration in an attempt to promote equal opportunity or increase ethnic or other forms of diversity. The focus of such policies ranges from employment and education to public contracting and health programs. The impetus towards affirmative action is twofold: toRead MoreAffirmative Action - Pros and Cons Essay1057 Words   |  5 PagesDiscussion of Affirmative Action Ââ€" 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 haveRead MoreAn Argument Against Affirmative Action Essay1716 Words   |  7 PagesPaved with Good Intentions: An Argument Against Affirmative Action Out of the jaws of civil war, the new United States had emerged. Broken and burning and minus 620,000 men, a new challenge lay before the nation: social equality. 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Because privilege is so ingrained in the workings of society, and because the effects of privilege are greater and more complex than any metric used to determine merit based aidRead More Affirmative Action Essay1503 Words   |  7 Pages Affirmative Action is defined by Websters New World College Dictionary as a policy or program for correcting the effects of discrimination in the employment or education of members of certain groups. The phrase affirmative action was coined by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 when he issued Executive Order 10925, initiating the Presidents Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246. This order required federal contractors toRead MoreEssay IM Black YouRe White Whos Innocent1114 Words   |  5 PagesSummary: This paper is based on an article called Im Black Youre White Whos innocent by Shelby Steel. The article takes a position that is against affirmative action because it takes the independence away from people of color. The article â€Å"I’m Black, You’re White, Who’s Innocent?’ is an analysis of the black and white racist situation that America has been facing. It is a claim to the fact that both the groups have created the racist situation. Some whites accept that the racist attitude