Affirmative Action?

Question

I just wanted to know how people feel about affirmative action. Do you think that it's really helping minorities, or just giving them an unfair advantage?

Personally, I believe in equal rights, not special rights. If I, as an anglo-saxon female, get a 3.5 GPA and a woman of African descent gets a 2.8, she will get the scholarship before I do, based on her race.

Any thoughts?

I'm not trying to beat down people. I've not had the greatest advantages in life, but I think my hard work should pay off.

And yes, I think that if I deserve the job, whatever, more, I should get it. It's the other person's fault if they didn't work as hard as I did. I would support a white man getting the job over me if that happened.

I don't want to use AA in my favor. That's cheap and demeaning to my intelligence and ambition.

Seriously, people, I asked the question so that I could get some feedback for a speech project. There's no need to be mean or ugly when you say things.

I understand that racism is not dead. But racism works both ways. I've seen both racist blacks and racist whites. It's a harmful thing.

I'm sorry if my question offended anyone, it was not my intention.

Answer 1

I'm an African-American Teacher, and since you want a sincere answer, I will give you a sincere answer.

You are a white woman. You have absolutely no idea that from the time you were born, you were given prefential treatment simply because you are white. You have no idea that you have always been treated with privilege and preference by your Teachers, Principals, and most importantly--the Bosses who have hired you. You have no idea that often times, the reason why you were hired--as opposed to the black person who also interviewed for the same job you applied for--is because you are White. I know you gasp in disbelief, and simply Do Not believe that a person would sincerely choose you for a job as opposed to me, because you are White. I know, its hard to taken out of the lilly-white, Snow White World of Fantasy that you have always lived in. I know it hurts...But just to prove a point: I personally have a very typical "black sounding name". I also have a Bachelors Degree from a prestigious university & excellent work experience. But guess how many times employers have called me back after faxing and mailing in my resumes in response to newspaper & internet job ads with my "black sounding name" to various places for the past 8 years: one time. Now, have many times have YOU been called back after you submitted your resume with your white sounding name?

People are HUMAN. Therefore, without affirmative action to mandate that a college allows a certain number of black people into schools: a white Dean would instinctively prefer a lilly white blond named Amy to enter his school, versus a black boy named Jamal (who just might steal his wallet if he gets to close, right? )...Without affrimative action to mandate that blacks are hired by a school--black people would most often NEVER be hired--despite having better education--because white employers almost ALWAYS give prefentional treatment to their fellow whites--Always. (ding, dong--hello, anybody home?--anybody home to remember something called "prejudice" and "racism"?) This is the unspoken rule of America. YOU never see it, hear it, or feel it for all the days of your blond haired, blue eyed life, Ms Anglo-Saxon --because you siliently BENEFIT from being white, by whites who are in positions of power who PREFER YOU, OVER BLACK ME.

So, when a black person--for once--is given a seat at the same table that you sit at: a school, a job, wherever--you GASP, clutch your pearls, and go home crying to Mother "that a big lipped jigga-boo had the NERVE to be hired or accepted to college over Billy--how UNFAIR Momma"!

White people recieve affirmative action from the time they are born: Its called Prefential Treatment. When the government mandates that racist white people must hire and accept blacks on the job and to college, its called Affirmative Action.

And as for the young black boy with the 2.8 GPA being accepted over you with your 3.5--did you ever stop to think that had YOU been born in the ghetto, in poverty, without your 2 doting & coddling wealthy parents who PAID for your personal tutors, dance lessons, and SAT practice exams, etc--that you would NOT have that fanstatic 3.5? Oh--you forgot--you were born with the Priveledge of WEALTH, that little Jamal wasnt born with. Dont break your hand patting yourself on the back because of your prefect grades--when those perfect grades were because of your fairly easy life of comfort and ease provided by your white Parents--who also benefitted from Preferential Treatment-- as opposed to poor Jamals parents who were never hired to high paying jobs because of racism, and therfore, could not afford personal tutors, lessons, etc.

..But of course, you'll stick to your guns and wont hear a WORD I'm saying, because it shocks you to have that seat of Preference taken away from you--for once, and thats all you care about. Sorry that in addition to good grades, your parents didnt also teach you something called 'Humanity'.
Good Day

Answer 2

I understand your position feeling that affirmative action is unfair however I am for affirmative action. Although you might have a higher GPA you also might have had opportunities that were given to you that made it easier to achieve that GPA. Money for a tutor, supportive parents that understand the importance of education, better education because of the type of high school you were able to attend, and many other opportunities. I do believe affirmative action promotes diversity which is a positive thing; however I also feel that it is not as necessary as it once was.
You said you believe in equal rights? Everyone isn't born with equal opportunity.

EDIT
You need to really understand what you are saying. You say you don't want to use affirmative action to your ability because it is demeaning, fine. Just know that men in America will get paid more than you just because they are men and not always because they are working harder. Life will never be 100% fair.
I believe that racism works both ways as well. Unfortunately AA has a negative connotation that makes people always think that race is the only factor.
I for one didn't take your question as offensive; I just think it brought up a very important point. We need to educate our country on what AA does and how scholarships and jobs have/are being determined. Maybe we will find some holes in the system that we can fix and/or maybe we can take out some of the ignorance associated with the term affirmative action.

Answer 3

I think that affirmative action has done much to help level the playing field, and the "minority" that has recieved the most benefits from affirmative action is white anglo-saxon females because in many affirmative action laws they are classifed as a discriminated against minority. So affirmative action is not all about race like some people seem to think it is.

When looking at scholarships please do not over simplify by contributing the only factor to GPA and race. Much more goes into the decions and many scholarships these days are need based/ merit based. Meaning that they take into consideration the financial need of the student as well as their merit. Also when saying merit it is not only about GPA; community service; even work history can be factors in a scholarship.

This being said, my personal thoughts on the subject are that affirmative action has been one tool in leveling the playing field for all minorities, and perhaps will remain relevant for a time longer.

However I believe we will come to the end of it's usefulness before too long. This will not be because we have reached equality but because I believe a system that points out the diffrences between people cannot ever make them truly equal. Only when we get to a point when we do not notice race as a factor in anything (including recieving a scholarship) will things have a true chance to be equal.

EDIT
I know this topic inspires very strong opinions one way or another from many people, and I would like to respond to a few of them.

1. Is Affirmative Action reverse racism- No it is a system designed to level the playing field for all. This system does so by pointing out the diffrences between people so we can make sure we are not favoring one person highly over another. Because it is pointing out this diffrence it can seem racist, but it's purpose is not to put one race at a disadvantage.

2. Accusing the asker of being unaware and ignorant and unable to place herself in someone else's shoes to get a diffrent perspective is a little bit harsh. Growing up you know what you are taught and what you see, and that is controlled by the adults in your life. The fact that she is that she is asking, and wanting honest opinions shows that she wants to hear others opinions, stories and perspectives on the issues. This shows that she is trying to understand. There are some answers that show a strong perspective but were done so while sprinkled with negative comments about her race. The fact of the matter is that the quickest way to get someone to stop listening to you is to offend them in some way. Her race is just an accident of birth like everyone's is, she can't help the fact that she is white any more than someone else can help the fact that they are black, brown, yellow, whatever. That does not give you the right to attack her personally for it and judge her for it. Just like your race does not give her the right to attack you for it and judge you for it.

Answer 4

Well, I would think that socioeconomic is better than race because being poor is the real handicap. Unfortunately, racial discrimination still exists and we may need the current affirmative action. The other problem with affirmative action is that, in my opinion, does not create equality at all. And is unfair too. I would ideally want something that merits actual ability and not race or how much money you had. We do not live in an ideal world though.

Answer 5

This is not a simple matter by any means.

I am an absolute believer of equal rights.

The societal problem with equal rights being implemented in all its simplicity is that not everyone is given the same rights as everyone else because of who/when/where they are born. The luck of the draw has put people like Donald Trump into a position where he was more likely to succeed.

But if Donald Trump were to have been born in a different time place and family, would he have been able to get to where he is today? Maybe, Maybe NOT.

If we were able to separate the concepts of evolution in which you are able to pass down things through your generations, let a lone through societies and the idea of equal rights, then yes it is an ideal world.

In our real world, should anyone be treated differently by any other, no. The best case scenario will still include the idea of absolute equal rights, and not special rights. The idea of affirmative action is to theoretically balance out the idea of family/cultural evolution.

The balance is critical.

Answer 6

You're a woman so AA benefits you (whether you want it to or not). Actually, it's benefitted us more than any other group. 40 years isn't enough time to bridge a 200 year gap. It's not special treatment, it's recompense. Do you think we should just get by with a "my bad?" We had a head start.

I do think that there should a more class based system however. My roommie's family is loaded, she's had every advantage and she's blk but it's important to remember that blks aren't the only ones who benefit. Women and all other racial minorities benefit too and, even though they may not be a racial minority, international students get additional points, if you're applying at a private school in your state and it comes down to you and a person from some other far away state, they're going to give it to the other person. A person with lower grades and lower test scores whose family can pay full tuition is going to be accepted over a person who has higher grades and test scores but needs financial aid. Higher education admission standards is a really bad example. I graduated high school with a 3.7 and had high SAT scores. I was wait listed at a state school for a football player. Now, I like football as much as the next girl but that wasn't fair but, you know what? It happens. There are going to be things that you're going to get because of your race, there are going to be things that you're not going to get because of your race. It's just the way life is.

Answer 7

Life doesn't always work in your favor. Instead of focusing on the negative in this example, pursue a scholarship that suits your background. For example, with that GPA you should have no problem at all getting a minority scholarship of your own. Go to the public library and ask the librarian for a scholarship listing. It's usually a huge book full of different scholarship programs ranging from race to special hobbies. I was given an Italian American scholarship because I am half Italian. Just because you check the 'white' box like I do, doesn't mean there aren't scholarships out there for YOU. You have to apply yourself and tap into the resources you have at hand. Good Luck :)

Answer 8

I am a minority and I believe in equal rights also. I wasn't so sure if I believed in affirmative action until I got married and see what my husband have to go thru..He is a very smart guy about to start his PhD. He have been on interviews where he could see the total shock on people face because they didn't think he was a minority b/c of his resume. He have been told he didn't get a job because they question his note taking skills( he don't have to take notes) You should ask minorities about their job stories I think you will be very surprised. Taking from your example if the scholarship gave out 10,000 scholarships and 10 were minorities that is not right.

Answer 9

Studies have shown that it's mostly white women who benefit the most from affirmative action. And remember, affirmative action goes both ways. For example: there are plenty of non-black students who receive scholarships to historically black colleges partially based on their race.

When you're talking about affirmative action on the job, I don't believe that there is such a thing anymore. Some places of employment are required to mention that they are an equal opportunity employer, but they have still been able to pick and choose whatever type of people they want working for them. They are even allowed to turn people down based on passed credit mistakes.

Answer 10

Since people assume some names are black or some names are white or some names are Muslim, etc., I think all resumes should be viewed blindly. I think the document and your credentials should speak for themselves, and the employer should not know whether you are male or female, black or white or pink or green, Catholic or Buddhist or anything. I think employment should be based on merit, but it should be done blindly.

I don't think Affirmative Action helps minorities at all, but I don't think it's giving them an unfair advantage either. I think it's gotten to the point where people have started assuming, "Oh, that African American woman, she's only here because of Affirmative Action, and my friend got passed over for the job because she's Caucasian." I think it's hurting them; you don't know whether the person was hired due to AA rules or because they truly deserved the job and had a good application/resume/interview. People have started assuming it's because of AA, and I think that harms people of minorities.

Answer 11

it's easy for you to say that because you are white. racism is absolutely NOT in the past. it's so easy to deny that it still exists so we (whites) can act like we don't need to keep making strides for racial equality. i understand how it can seem unfair that companies have to hire minorities but those rules do more good than harm. there are still many employers who would not hire minorities unless they had to as much as many people like to deny this. think about it, when our parents were kids there was still overt racism and even segregation laws (they existed in the south much longer than most people think) so do you really think ALL of that racism is gone? of course some progress has been made but as a nation we're far from not judging people by the color of their skin. no laws are going to be fair for all people all of the time, and affirmative action is one of those. but we have to look more at the big picture and the overall good that it serves.