The Pendulum of Discrimination Swinging to Reason
Over the last century, mankind has made significant increases in the fight against discrimination. Pioneers such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Susan B. Anthony have made progress in this fight. One would be completely ignorant to say discrimination does not exist today, although there is evidence that reactionary policies have been taken too far, ultimately creating reverse discrimination. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was created, it provided protection for all persons regardless of race, color, or national origin. Today colleges and employers are given quotas and are forced to turn down qualified applicants based on their race or sex. One could easily interpret this as completely unconstitutional. Not only is this an injustice, it creates a sense of inadequacy for both mainstream and minority groups. Affirmative action in higher education is creating an unfair environment for students who study and succeed in academics.
English: Photograph of Rosa Parks with Dr. Martin ...
Martin Luther King leaning on a lectern. Deutsch: ...
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1964 Civil R...Today students can gain entrance to colleges without meeting that college's requirements, simply so the college can maintain diversity. Two wrongs do not make a right. It was unfair to treat minorities without equality in the past; therefore it is wrong to treat majorities without equality in the present. Our country has progressed too far in the fight against discrimination to allow discrimination to exist in higher education due to affirmative action.
Today, there are far too many colleges, which rely on race, religion, sex, or heritage to determine which students gain acceptance. There are many instances where discrimination can be seen as the determining factor. An excellent example of this discrimination can be witnessed in this short writing by the Professor of Management and Public Policy at UCLA, John Wilson:
"As Nick Catoggio went to his mailbox, he knew that his acceptance letter from...