Advantages and Disadvantages of Affirmative Action Essay

English 112 Exploratory Essay The Affirmative Action Debate Affirmative Action Defined Affirmative Action can be defined as â€Å"positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded (Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)†. However because those steps involve â€Å"preferential† selection affirmative action generates intense controversy (Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Affirmative Action (Negative) There are many people who oppose the institution of affirmative action for many different reasons. Some argue that it allows students, and employees to slack off, and takes away their initiative to perform†¦show more content†¦For centuries blacks were considered less capable than whites. affirmative action helped to give African Americans the opportunity to show what they are capable of. My View In considering my view on the topic of affirmative action I considered the following analogy found in one of the articles I researched for this essay. â€Å"I and some other people in my neighborhood run a race together to see who is the fastest runner in the community. Unbeknowinst to anyone (including myself), a very crabby neighbor puts weights in the shoes of everyone but me. We run and I come in first, doing a mile in four minutes. Now, I obviously earned that time because I ran really well- but does that mean that I earned getting first place in the race? Did I now deserve to be called the fastsest runner in the community (Balancedpolitics pg. 5)?† This is what I think of when I consider my position on this subject. I believe that diversity is not a natural occurrence, and that people do need help when it comes to breaking down stereotypes. Throughout the emotional process we are expected to learn how to interact with other races and nationalities. However, stude nts, and schools are often segregated, leaving children to live isolated within their own race all the way up until college. As a result opinions of other races are formed based on stereotypes, and without affirmative action diversity is far less likely to occur. However, I also believe that affirmativeShow MoreRelatedAffirmative Actions Have Consequences Essay example1219 Words   |  5 Pagesthe scene. Fisher’s lawyer argued against affirmative action on the grounds of unfair treatment. Some sided with Abigail, but all those who opposed her case said nothing about affirmative action as a means to increase fairness; their only claims stressed the importance of diversity in a university setting (Leonhardt 1). The Supreme Court is getting more and more appeals for cases concerning what seems to be a growing and important issue. Affirmative action is defined as a policy or program for correctingRead MoreWhy We Still Need Affirmitive Action1493 Words   |  6 PagesWhy we still need affirmative action Because of the complex nature of the discussion on affirmative action and the controversies and the emotion surrounding it, it is imperative to first recap on the causes of race and inequality in the United States of America. The policies on affirmative action were proposed as a fractional remedy for the socio-economic impacts of past and present disadvantage faced by certain groups in the population, especially with regard to biases on gender and race. Such disadvantagesRead MoreEssay on Affirmative Action and Racial Equality 1467 Words   |  6 Pages Affirmative Action and Racial Equality (1) Issue Identification Many individuals do not know the meaning of the term â€Å"affirmative action.† In order to clearly understand the issue, one must first know the necessary terms associated with it. Affirmative action is a term given to an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination (i.e. African Americans, Asians, etc.). For example, certain scholarships for African Americans can be regarded as affirmative action opportunitiesRead More Affirmative Action - Is it Fair? Essay764 Words   |  4 PagesAffirmative Action - Is it Fair Affirmative action in theory and in thought is intended to promote the welfare of this country’s minorities by supporting the idea that individuals are equal and should not be judged by race or sex. Therefore, in situations like job and university applications, we should consider minorities to be as feasible a choice for hire as a white male candidate, taking into consideration their background. In short, it tries to give minorities that have been at a disadvantageRead MoreLegal Writing1315 Words   |  6 PagesAffirmative Action College Admissions 2 Abstract Affirmative action has been a strong subject of discussion and debate for more than 30 years. Its use in college admissions has even been heard and ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court. Affirmative action is in essence, a policy or procedure developed by numerous institutions of higher learning to attempt to diversify their student bodies racially and by ethnicity. Looking closer at this procedure will display the advantages and disadvantages ofRead MoreDiscrimination And Discrimination Against Minority Groups1034 Words   |  5 Pagesnamed affirmative action, was first used by President Kennedy in 1961 in the United States. Its goal is â€Å"to overcome disadvantage over and above whatever is required to prevent actual discrimination against minority groups† (E.Burney 1988: 1). In other words, this measure tries to give more to those who have less in order to put everyone on an equal footing. Affirmative action policies mainly focus on education and employment. For instance in higher education, thanks to the positive action policyRead MoreAffirmative Action And The Civil Rights Movement963 Words   |  4 Pagescalled â€Å"Affirmative Action† was introduced with the hope to engage more people of color into the society. Affirmative Action is an outcome of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement. Its purpose is to provide equal opportunities for members of minority groups and women in education and employment. It is not until 1961 did the term â€Å"affirmative action† was first used by President John F. Kennedy. He made it very clear in an Executive Order that directed government have to take â€Å"affirmative action to ensureRead MoreAffirmative Action : An Unfair Advantage For Minorities1198 Words   |  5 PagesAffirmation Action Produces Negative Reactions In the early 1960’s, President Kennedy issued an executive order to ensure that government contractors hire and treat employees without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin. This executive order was issued so that all would have equal opportunities when qualified especially in regard to higher education and employment. However, it wasn’t until President Johnson issued his executive order in 1965 that it was developed and enforced. AffirmativeRead More The Affirmative Action Debate Essay1642 Words   |  7 PagesFor the sake of this essay, affirmative action in education is defined as: â€Å"policies and programs designed to advance equality of educationalopportunity for individuals from groups that have suffered systematic historical discrimination† (Mickelson 29). What is being referred to here is race-based affirmative action, or the act of taking into consideration an applicant’s race in the college admissions process. This is a hot top ic all over the United States and has been for quite a while, the debateRead MoreCivil Liberties and Civil Rights722 Words   |  3 Pagessegregation to continue. This discrimination created many disadvantages for minority groups that have been attempted to be fixed only recently by affirmative action policies being passed by Congress. Proactive government actions have been taken to try to aid African Americans economic situations that they felt were necessary to help Blacks escape their difficult conditions that years of discrimination had created. The principle of affirmative action introduces justice into policies as opposed to simply