Affermative Action

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorCollege, Undergraduate February 2008

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Affirmative Action, for those of you who don't know too much about it, is a policy which encourages government, businesses, universities, etc., to take "Affirmative Action" toward accepting minorities, women, and disabled Americans--among others--in the workplace/college. It's roots can be found over 30 years ago in the heat of the civil rights movement.

Reversed Discrimination This policy must be one of the most self-conflicting policies of our time. Basically, We've decided to combat the unacceptable lingering discrimination towards "disadvantaged Americans" (for lack of a better phrase, that is the one I'll use from here on in) with the accepted--even encouraged--discrimination against white males. That any policy actually encourages discrimination based on race and gender befuddles me. Day I say that it might be illegal based on our own laws! After all, it is illegal to discriminate based on race and gender.

Something that made me truly angry--still does, in fact--is that, at the bottom every every job and college application there is a little disclaimer which reads something to the effect of: "This institution does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethicity, gender, or disability."

If this is true, why does every college and job application ask for your race, gender, handicaps, etc? If they were not discriminating, they would not need to ask! In a truly color-blind, mono-gender society, why would businesses and colleges have to ask such things? The answer, of course, is Affirmative Action. The policy dictates that all colleges, businesses, etc., hire a certain number of minorities and women. It says nothing about whether or not the disadvantaged Americans are qualified for the job. They aren't getting jobs because they are the best person for the job, they're getting it because they are a "disadvantaged American"! Of course, there are those...