Difference between revisions of "Affirmative Action"

Revision as of 18:18, October 4, 2007

Affirmative action refers to policies proposed as remedies for the historical effects of race or sex discrimination.

The original concept of affirmative action was that it is desirable to not merely act on non-discrimination passively (i.e., saying "this job is open to any applicant", but then making no efforts to find minority applicants), but should also be done affirmatively, by taking definite actions to find applicants from minorities.

This would be, in its way, admirable. However, in current use, affirmative action goes beyond this, often mandating the use of quotas for setting aside jobs or a portion of college entrance positions for each minority (including also some "minorities" which are actually majorities). In effect, this means selecting applicants by the color of their skin, precisely what the original concept of non-discrimination forbids. This is sometimes called "reverse discrimination," although this term is rather contradictory - discrimination remains discrimination.

Regents v. Bakke effectively outlawed this "sometimes called 'reverse discrimination.'"

Dinesh D'Souza wrote:

Many whites have become increasingly scornful of black demands, and vehemently reject racial preferences. Most blacks, by contrast, support affirmative action as indispensable to fighting the enduring effects of white racism. [1]

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas opposes "affirmative action" because it elevates blacks to a higher strata than they can thrive in and gives whites reason to continue to believe blacks are inferior.

External links

• [2] The End of Racism: The White Man's Burden - Dinesh D'Souza