Affirmative Action Equality for All Essay - 1741 Words

Affirmative Action: Equality for All? Affirmative action in the United States has become a misused and misguided practice in modern times. In the current form of affirmative action, it is impossible to create a truly equal society. It was originally used as an equal opportunity measure to allow qualified minorities into positions they were denied because of race. However, affirmative action has become a system of racial quotas that lowers standards for minority applicants in order to give them a chance to succeed in universities, jobs, and leadership positions. At first, it may not seem like such a bad idea to have racial quotas because it increases diversity. But with racial quotas qualified applicants to universities, jobs, etc†¦show more content†¦The case of Barbara Grutter vs. University of Michigan Law School is a real life example of affirmative action’s reverse discrimination. Grutter applied to University of Michigan Law School with a 3.81 GPA and a Law School Admission Test score of 161. While a ll black students with similar scores were accepted, she was denied, along with 90% of white students scoring in her range. When applying to University of Michigan black and hispanic students were more likely to be accepted than white students with similar academic backgrounds (Pearson 15). This use of affirmative is completely unethical. According to Kant’s first categorical imperative â€Å"act as though your actions will become universal law†, the use of reverse discrimination within preferential treatment in affirmative action is unethical. If we say that it is ok for some students to receive preferential treatment based on race then we are telling society that it is ok to use race-based preferential treatment in all circumstances. We are also allowing discrimination. If we lived in a society where everyone practiced race-based preferential treatment then it would create an unfair society where we just use race and not credentials to determine whether people are qu alified for positions. This would be an unfair world that people would not want to live in. Affirmative action also lowers standards for minorities. Affirmative action is implemented byShow MoreRelatedAffirmative Action As A Blender, Creating Equality For All People2610 Words   |  11 PagesAmerica has the nickname of â€Å"The Melting Pot,† but melting implies no boundaries. In the U.S., many boundaries between different ethnicities, religions, and minorities still exist. The concept of affirmative action is to act as a blender, creating equality for all people. Affirmative action is encouraged in many different business sectors by the government. Some examples include the Department of Defense strives to award five percent of contracts to minority businesses and institutions, federal homeRead 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 MoreArgumentative Essay - Affirmative Action1148 Words   |  5 Pagessocial policy known as affirmative action, the answer becomes unclear. Affirmative action is a product of the civil rights era, that time from the late 1950s through the 1960s when African Americans fought to live as equal citizens in the country of their birth (Maltz, Leora, 2005). After the United States Congress passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, it became apparent that certain business traditions, such as seniority status and aptitude tests, prevented total equ ality in employment. PresidentRead MoreEssay on We Still Need Affirmative Action512 Words   |  3 Pagesmovement shifted from the traditional aim of equality of opportunity through nondiscrimination alone to affirmative action to establish ‘goals and timetables’ to achieve absolute equality between blacks and whites† (Dye 253). These goals and timetables were cemented with Executive Order No. 11246, issued by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. This order is commonly referred to as the foundation for modern-day affirmative action programs. 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Implementing affirmative action policies will encourage growth in the company because we will be able to effectively select and hire people, not on the basis of race but on actual qualifications that make a person suitable for a position in the company. Affirmative actionRead MoreCivil Liberties and Civil Rights722 Words   |  3 PagesBill of Rights did not convey anything about equality aside from that all Americans are entitled to due process in court. The word â€Å"equality† for instance does not even appear in the Constitution. Thus the topic of equality and civil rights is a grey area that is not clearly defined or understood. Prior to the Civil War, the inequality of African Americans and women for example were easily apparent. African Americans lived as slaves and had no rights at all and were claimed by some in court cases thatRead MoreImagine A Student Named Billy Is Applying For A Scholarship.1001 Words   |  5 Pagesdidn’t. The answer is affirmative action. Affirmative action is an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, and it is an outdated program that is creating unequal opportunities for non-diverse people. The history of affirmative action goes back farther than one might think. Affirmative action is not a new concept. It has been around since the 1961 when President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order that told employers to take â€Å"affirmative action to ensure that applicantsRead MoreAffirmative Action : How It Impacted The American Society Essay1628 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract There are many supporters and opponents of Affirmative Action. The focus of Affirmative action is meant to be an attempt at equality throughout society. Every sector in America would be equal and unprejudiced. On the other hand, adopting affirmative action would force many employers to replace hard-working employees with those possibly less qualified simply due to their gender or ethnicity. Throughout history, people have been categorized into different groups. These groupings were basedRead MoreAffermative Action1316 Words   |  6 PagesBy: Elissa Thomas E-mail: elissa@usais.net Affirmative Action Affirmative Action efforts were started in 1964 to end the long history of overlooking qualified people of color and women from higher education. Affirmative Action sets standards for a business or office of admissions, so that a white man does not have the upper-hand over an equally or greater educated minority. The initial way the government tried to justify Affirmative Action was to develop a human resource approach: first identifying