Enhance Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 It's unfortunate that some members in society will make prejudices based on skin color That's exactly what affirmative action does. Affirmative actions exists because of prejudices - prejudices don't exist because of affirmative action. Although I don't agree with it nor support it, it started because our society doesn't know how to behave. AA is hypocritical - no argument there. Link to comment
JJ Husker Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Equality hasn't been realized yet. The problem is not the historic years of oppression or the lack of any laws or rights currently. The problem is things like affirmative action, quotas, and the attitude that some people need to be treated differently. When society finally quits making allowances for people based on their race or some other minority status, then equality will truly be realized in this country. That, and we stop imprisoning blacks at a much higher rate, allow them to have equal schools, and similar protection from the police. The problem with affirmative action is that we need it in the first place. It's unfortunate that some members in society will make prejudices based on skin color, but it's the world we live in, which is why people will continue to support affirmative action programs. I don't think we "need" it any longer and I'm not convinced we have needed it for quite some time. I think it only helps perpetuate the notion that it is ok to treat people differently because of their race or color. Sure there are still prejudiced people around but a program like affirmative action will never solve that fact and in many cases will cause that prejudice to be worse and more wide spread. It is my belief that truly prejudiced people are in the extreme minority and getting fewer day by day. They are only hurting themselves if they use skin color to ascertain the qualifications or judge the worth of a person. We have civil rights and labor laws in place to resolve cases of discrimination that harm a specific person. AA harms everyone because it makes true equality unreachable for those it is supposed to help and it provides an avenue for reverse discrimination. Link to comment
Enhance Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 I think it only helps perpetuate the notion that it is ok to treat people differently because of their race or color. Sure there are still prejudiced people around but a program like affirmative action will never solve that fact and in many cases will cause that prejudice to be worse and more wide spread. I think that's an interesting dynamic. I wonder if students who get into college, thanks to affirmative action, end up feeling slighted by society? e.g. "The only reason I got in is because society didn't want me to." Maybe they feel more grateful? I don't know. But it's interesting, regardless. My biggest issue simply involves the talent level of the student. It goes back to the example I posted earlier. Skin color should be irrelevant, as students should be accepted into college based on performance and performance alone. A school shouldn't be required to take in a minority student that did poor in high school, just so they can meet some quota, any more than they should be forced to take in a Caucasian student who did poor in high school. To me, I don't see a difference between a Black and Caucasian person who grew up in similar conditions and had similar grades. That said, I think there's still a lot of racism in the world today, slightly more than you give credit. As a Nebraskan, I don't see a lot of it. But, I have friends from southern parts of the country who say racism is very much alive, and in large numbers in some areas. Link to comment
Enhance Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 In addition, it comes down to qualification. A more qualified person should not be denied something because a less qualified minority needs to be treated equally. This is obviously easier said than done, as there are still people who make prejudices based on race, which is what makes all of this so difficult. Personally, I'd hire a Black employee if he was more qualified/better educated than the Caucasian employee. I'd hire the Caucasian employee if he was more qualified/better educated than the Black employee. If affirmative action programs were banished tomorrow, and we saw steady declines in minority acceptances into college, would we attribute this to prejudice or to simply allowing more qualified people to get into college? I see the argument for both sides. I think many schools, especially in Nebraska, give students of all races plenty of opportunities to succeed. But if a minority in North Omaha chooses friends/gang life over his education, that's his choice and is not a reflection on opportunities. I will admit that other parts of this nation may not be as balanced as others, but my schooling history has always provided different races with equal opportunities. It's up to the student and their families to make the most of those opportunities, not the government. Link to comment
JJ Husker Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 In addition, it comes down to qualification. A more qualified person should not be denied something because a less qualified minority needs to be treated equally. This is obviously easier said than done, as there are still people who make prejudices based on race, which is what makes all of this so difficult. Personally, I'd hire a Black employee if he was more qualified/better educated than the Caucasian employee. I'd hire the Caucasian employee if he was more qualified/better educated than the Black employee. If affirmative action programs were banished tomorrow, and we saw steady declines in minority acceptances into college, would we attribute this to prejudice or to simply allowing more qualified people to get into college? I see the argument for both sides. I think many schools, especially in Nebraska, give students of all races plenty of opportunities to succeed. But if a minority in North Omaha chooses friends/gang life over his education, that's his choice and is not a reflection on opportunities. I will admit that other parts of this nation may not be as balanced as others, but my schooling history has always provided different races with equal opportunities. It's up to the student and their families to make the most of those opportunities, not the government. I've got a pretty simple solution. Quit asking what race/color prospective students are on the application. My son has been registering for college(s) recently and I have no idea how they would know what color or race he is if they simply didn't ask. It's really hard to discriminate against a person based on race when you have no idea what race they are. Used to be you had a pretty good idea if someones name was something like Shoniqua, but I don't think that is as reliable as it used to be. I'm sure there are some pencil pusher beauracrats that would argue they need it for demographic information. My question is, why? Determine citizenship and residency (for tuition puroses) and let the students qualifications, grades, test scores, etc. speak for the rest of it. And don't even get me started on scholarship apps. We live in the frikken United States but they will put right on the app that only Hispanics, African Americans, etc. will be considered but, I have yet to see even one scholarship for white people only. I wonder what would happen if I advertised a job opening in my company like that. Wanted- One lily white individual that can type 80 wpm. I really don't see the difference. Link to comment
Mavric Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I've never quite understood how it makes sense to try to end discrimination by enforcing discrimination. Link to comment
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