Do you support Affirmative Action?

Question

I was neutral to affirmative action since I thought it somewhat a form of reverse discrimination. Then I found out that affirmative action actually discriminates against people of my "race," and I'm a minority...
What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

I totally agree with Idlebud - two wrongs don't make a right.

But I'd also like to address whether affirmative action actually does more harm than good for the black community.

I feel affirmative action encourages MORE bigotry against blacks.
1. It creates the image that blacks need special help, that standards need to be lowered in order for blacks to succeed. How can that attitude be viewed as anything but insulting!
2. It casts doubt as to wheter the person you are dealing with got the job because he was the best, or just because he just had the right skin shade.
3. It gives whites an excuse to why blacks have all the breaks & why they need to help "their own people" instead of being equal.

Every time I hear someone say they know someone who didn't get a certain job because they hadn't met thier "quota" of Blacks, I cringe, knowing this just perpetuates more bigotry. It doesn't matter if it's the truth or just a loser's excuse for not getting a job. If people believe it as the truth, the effect is the same.

So even if you think that sometimes two wrongs DO make a right, this would not be one of those times.

Answer 2

I am for it, and I am going to list actual reasons, too:

1) Reverse discrimination? How can we be put ahead of a people that have a 300+ year head start. We were in slavery for almost 400 years, and then we still have to jump through hoops!

2) Technically, there will never be equality. I mean, some White people (notice I said some) have a "connections over qualifications" kind of thinking. I have heard stories about how my grandfather was forced to teach a white guy about half his age, and when he was done showing him the ropes, the guy becomes his boss! Where is the equality in that?

I am for affirmative action, but like many of you, not when it is just "He's Black, give him the job,". Like impoetry1 said, it should just be used as a defense against "connections over qualifications".

Answer 3

Absolutely

What i don't understand is this myth that seems to repeatedly comes up is that without Affirmative Action...the most qualified applicant would get the job. Perhaps in a perfect would this is true, but in the real world? Well...not exactly

We've already tried the system without it for years...and look where that got us. You had men and women who could have made major contributions to our society in mathematics, the Sciences, business and politics becoming janitors, field hands maids and other servicemen.

Why should my well being and hard work be totally dependent on the *belief* that race is an irrelevent issue amongst the majority white population?

Answer 4

There's a very simple premise revealed in the word "affirm". You can't select by affirming without deselecting by denying.

If you weren't denying someone, it wouldn't be "affirmative action". It would just be a natural choice based on the criteria set up for the selection process.

But with affirmative action, you start by dividing the pool of potential acceptees into two groups: affirmed and denied...BEFORE you look at where they rate on the merits.

Now you can call it what you want, but that's EXACTLY how you discriminate. Isn't that supposed to be what we're stopping?

When baseball decided to stop discriminating, they didn't start by signing black pitchers with 75 mph fastballs instead of white guys who could throw 90 mph. They stopped by eliminating race as a criteria...and substituting a radar gun to measure their fastball.

If you want to correct a wrong, you just stop, You don't substitute another wrong to try to balance things out.

Answer 5

I am for discrimination based on ability. The most able and qualified person should receive the opportunity, whatever it is. I am against affirmative action because it is a form of discrimination based on race, gender, or creed and is readily exploited for political ends.

Answer 6

No I don't support Affirmative Action. I feel it is discrimination, and not of white people, but of minorities. The way I think of it is that we don't think of you as being good enough to get this job based on your qualifications, so because you are black/hispanic/native american/etc., you have an excuse. I find it offensive.

Answer 7

I support affirmative action, just think it is way underused by the people who get discriminated against the most, white women, we get discriminated against worse than anyone else in this system.

Answer 8

If you are a white woman you should thank the sarcastic senator that included women in the bill, since its been overwhelming proven that white women have benefited the most from affirmative action. There goes reverse racism!

Answer 9

I'd never support Affirmative Action. Lots of people have made it and they did not have to fal back on affirmative action. Lots of white people have never made it either, as it's not just the minorities who fail or are out of luck.

Answer 10

I'm absolutely fine with it.
Find me two EXACTLY equal people, and i'll hire the minority. Wait then they aren't exactly equal are they?

Ok, it sucks!

Oh and I am part of the smallest minority in the US that is the most discriminated against. I am part of the 1/2 of 1 percent of rich white males in the country.