Limiting equality, diversity and opportunity

In the United States, Affirmative Action policies are intended to level the playing field for a variety of people, including historically disadvantaged ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities, and veterans.

In the past few years there have been a number of court cases contesting the constitutional grounds of Affirmative Action. In 2003 a Supreme Court decision concerning Affirmative Action in universities allowed educational institutions to consider race as a factor in admitting students, but ruled that strict point systems are unconstitutional.

Alternatively, some colleges use financial criteria to attract racial groups that have typically been under-represented and typically have lower living conditions. Executive Orders 11246 and 11375 prohibit federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, skin color, religion, gender, or national origin.

Some states such as California and Michigan have passed constitutional amendments banning affirmative action.By its proponents, it is seen as a foundational principle of democratic societies, and seeks to redress imbalances in society, which makes sense.

However, others feel that Affirmative Action devalues the accomplishments of people who work hard and are qualified. It also devalues the accomplishments only of those it is intended to help, because there are always going to be people that someone only made such accomplishments because they were handed opportunities due to their race or gender, ect. For these reasons, Affirmative Action is very counterproductive.

I believe that Affirmative Action promotes racism rather than discouraging it. By trying to satisfy a quota of admitted or hired persons that “promote diversity,” doesn’t that discriminate against people who are qualified or have worked hard? It is almost as though these policies, in some way, promote laziness and receiving handouts.

I also think that Affirmative Action has failed to achieve its desired effects. It replaces old wrongs with new wrongs and has done nothing for reconciliation among the people. It encourages individuals to identify themselves as disadvantaged, even if they are not. I also believe that it increases racial tensions and benefits the more privileged people within minority groups at the expense of the least fortunate within majority groups (such as lower-class whites).

It is truly frustrating that businesses and schools with equal opportunities and high diversity are given government money for going out of their way to fill a quota. We should not be discriminating against the qualified people or the people who have tried to make something of themselves.

It does not matter how much monetary rewards we hand out, there will always be ignorant people who feel it is their right to discriminate. That should not be a place where you want to work or go to school anyway.

One of the underlying purposes of Affirmative Action is to make amends for slavery through money. First, I did not enslave anyone, nor did my parents. In fact, my grandparents did not either. No one who is alive today was enslaved, with the exception of those who are over 140-years old. So I do not understand why my taxes are being put into programs to make amends for something that happened to someone’s great-great-great-great-grandparents.

Affirmative Action promotes unfair treatment in this country. For example, in 1978, Allan Bakke, a white applicant, was rejected twice from Regents of the University of California, a medical school, even though there were minority applicants admitted with significantly lower scores than his. Bakke maintained that judging him on the basis of his race was a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

The Supreme Court ruled that while race was a legitimate factor in school admissions, the use of such inflexible quotas as the medical school had set aside was not. The Supreme Court, however, was split 5–4 in its decision, ruling in favor of Bakke, and imposed limitations on affirmative action to ensure that providing greater opportunities for minorities did not come at the expense of the rights of the majority.

In theory, Affirmative Action is great. There is nothing wrong with trying to promote equal opportunities. However, the policies implemented by the United States seem to promote reverse discrimination, and that should leave us asking ourselves if these policies are outdated and unfair.

We all have the right to vote, free speech, work, live, and pursue happiness, but not at the expense of deepening the wounds and roots of discrimination. We will never live in a place free from ignorant beliefs, but we can work toward it. To do so, I believe that we first need to reconsider the constitutionality of Affirmative Action, and try to find a better way to promote diversity and equality without being unfair.