Different Views on Affirmative Action Essay

This paper will discuss the different views on affirmative action. I will go over both views of this issue, and will explain which side my personal views fall on. I will also discuss the pros and cons of affirmative actions, and the effects it has on the workplace. â€Å"In its tumultuous 45-year history, affirmative action has been both praised and pilloried as an answer to racial inequality. The â€Å"affirmative action† was first introduced by President Kennedy in 1961 as a method of redressing discrimination that had persisted in spite of civil rights laws and constitutional guarantees† (Brunner, 2008). Affirmative action is a highly controversial policy that is designed to help minorities gain access to jobs and schools, etc. that they normally would not be able to enter into. â€Å"Affirmative action generally means giving preferential treatment to minorities in admission to universities or employment in government and businesses. The policies were originally developed to correct decades of discrimination and to give disadvantaged minorities a boost. The diversity of our current society as opposed to that of 50 years ago seem to indicate the programs have been a success. But now, many think the policies are no longer needed and that they lead to more problems than they solve† (Messerh, 2008). The benefits were very great for minorities at one time. There was a time when minorities and women faced an uphill battle for equality in the workplace and in education. The majority of people believed that the better paying jobs should not only go to white men; but that they were the better qualified candidates. â€Å"Keep in mind that all people have more shared than different characteristics, and no group is biologically superior to another. Nevertheless, racism, the belief that some racial groups are inherently inferior to others, has been common and is used to justify discrimination and equality† (Lauer & Lauer, 2006, p. 225). This belief was spurred on by racism and sexism in the past. â€Å"Focusing in particular on education and jobs, affirmative action policies required that measures be taken to ensure that blacks and other minorities enjoyed the same opportunities for promotions, salary increases, career advancement, school admissions, scholarships, and financial aid that had been the nearly xclusive province of whites. From the outset, affirmative action was envisioned as a temporary remedy that would end once there was a â€Å"level playing field† for all Americans† (Brunner, 2008). I think that this policy was a good idea to begin with. There were many people back in the 50’s who would go out of their way to make sure that blacks were not able to raise above their â€Å"born into roles†. At the time, a law like this was needed very bad. It was very important at that time in our history to include every one of all races and sexes. I believe that we have now reached a time in our history, where inclusion is at an all time high nationwide. This brings us to the problems that affirmative action has caused in our society. The biggest problem is reverse discrimination. â€Å"Affirmative action leads to reverse discrimination. Affirmative action is designed to end discrimination and unfair treatment of employees/students based on color, but it in effect does the opposite. Whites who work harder and/or more qualified can be passed over strictly because they are white. Contrary to many stereotypes, many minorities fall into the middle or upper class, and many whites live in poverty. Unfortunately, the way things are set up now, a poverty-stricken white student who uses discipline and hard work to become the best he can be can be passed over by a rich minority student who doesn’t put in much effort at all† (Messerh, 2008). Many people do not want to admit to this problem; however, affirmative action has created discrimination of the majority. If a person is a white male, they may actually be looked over for the simple fact that a university or company does not have enough minority employees. This is a discriminatory practice in the process. â€Å"By the late 70’s, however flaws in the policy began to show up amid its good intentions. Reverse discrimination became an issue, epitomized by the famous Blakke case in 1978. Allan Blakke, a white male, had been rejected two years by a medical school that had accepted less qualified applicants – the school had a separate admissions policy for minorities and reserved 16 out of 100 places for minority students. The Supreme Court outlawed inflexible quota systems in affirmative action programs, which in this case had unfairly discriminated against a white applicant. In the same ruling, however, the Court upheld the legality of affirmative action per se† (Brunner, 2008). I personally feel like affirmative action has also lowered the quality within the universities and in the workplace. â€Å"Affirmative action lowers standards of accountability needed to push students or employees to perform better. If a minority student can get into Harvard with a 3. 2 grade-point average, why should she push herself to get a 4. 0? Although some students or employees are self-motivated, most people need an extra push or incentive to do their best, by setting lower standards for admission or hiring, we are lowering the level of accountability. We should reward hard work, discipline and achievement, we shouldn’t reward a student simply because he or she is a certain race, nor punished because he or she isn’t† (Messerh, 2008). All positions regardless of what it is, is better filled by filling it with the best and most qualified applicant. The best tool against discrimination and unfair hiring practices, would be to make sure all of our lower, middle, and high schools are up to par in order to create the best applicants overall.