Affirmative action is a topic that has been debated
since its inception. Does affirmative action stigmatize the group of people it
is designed to assist? Does it actually help minorities? Is affirmative action
ethical? Before we delve into those arguments, let us define affirmative
action. Affirmative action, according to Andre,Valesquez, and Mazur (n.d.), is
“designed as temporary measures to increase the
employment and educational opportunities available to qualified women and
minorities by giving them preference in hiring, promotion, and admission”
(para. 2).
As an individual who believes each person should be
treated fairly no matter their race, gender, or religious believes, I have had
no major qualms with affirmative action. Growing up in the southern United
States, I was able to witness the effects the pre-civil rights error had left.
The area I grew up in was radically divided between black and white, affluence
and poverty. The jobs that were available to the white population were vastly
different from the jobs available to the black population. I believe that
giving others a chance to have equal opportunity is a positive idea.
Though I believe affirmative action is a good thing,
I am not 100% sure it is ethical. Let us examine arguments both for and against
affirmative action. One reason people who back affirmative action think it is a
good thing is because it allows individuals the opportunity to succeed.
According to Cassidy (2013), individuals who are born in the bottom twenty
percent of the national income only have about a 17% chance to reach the top
forty percent of the income distribution by age 40. For people born into the
bottom income brackets, this is an alarming statistic. This is a statistic
saying that there is about an eighty three percent chance that they will
continue to monetarily struggle throughout life. Why not give these individuals
a chance to better themselves. Getting into a good college could open so many
doors for some people. It could give them the opportunity to have a better
life.
I was
fortunate enough to be born to parents who were able to afford to send me to a
private school which allowed me to get into college. After college, I was very
fortunate to find a job and purchase a home. The education I received as a child
set me up for success. I say this, not to brag about my good fortune, but to
argue the other side of the coin. I could see where some people could be upset
with affirmative action. If I were not fortunate enough to go to a private
school and was not admitted to college due to affirmative action, then I would
probably have a different view of the program.
LaFollette (2007) also argued for affirmative action
by describing how it creates an equality of opportunity. According to
LaFollette (2007), affirmative action is an efficient vehicle to challenge
racist habits and racist institutions. Affirmative action not only causes
employers and schools to think about whom they admit or employ but why they
chose to do so. This thought process is an avenue for equal opportunity.
One argument against affirmative action is that it
could take away from another student or qualified applicant that also deserves
to be admitted. LaFollette (2007) used the example that out of 100 spots
typically about 6 black students are accepted to college. If affirmative action
were put into place, based on the black population in America being 12%, an
additional six black students would be admitted.
But what
about the six deserving white students who are now left out? They will most likely
feel discriminated against, because they were technically not admitted solely
based on their race. LaFollette (2007) stated that these students are forced to
pay the debts of their forefathers’ mistreatment of blacks. While Anderson
(2015) argues that affirmative action leads to reverse discrimination. When
refereeing to the policy Anderson (2015) stated, “It does not only give the majority group an unfair treatment
in the field of higher education and employment, but it also does punish them
for crimes that they haven’t done” (para. 4).
Some people argue that affirmative action may
actually harm the minorities it is intended to help. How could this be? Slater
(2013) offered the mismatch theory in which affirmative action tends to place
students in colleges that may be above their abilities. “Affirmative action can harm those it’s
supposed to help by placing them at schools in which they fall below the median
level of ability and therefore have a tough time” (Slater, 2013, para. 5). If a
student falls behind in college it could have long-lasting effects including
affecting their career later down the road. Even if you are admitted to a great
school, GPA never goes away and a poor GPA could close doors quickly.
The one flaw I would
have against affirmative action is that it seems to stigmatize blacks.
LaFollette (2007) described a story about a black individual who is hired at
the government treasury office. People begin to wonder if she is actually
qualified for the job or if she was hired to fill a quota. Unfortunately, this
line of thinking still exists in America. Qualified individuals are being
looked down upon and questioned, while unqualified individuals could take a job
they are not prepared to handle and fail. If affirmative action was eliminated,
individuals would no longer question an individual’s qualification when they
are hired. They would no longer question if the person was only hired due to
their race.
As I look at the pros
and cons of affirmative action. I am still not able to answer the question if
affirmative action is ethical. On one hand I believe it is ethical because it
allows people who were mistreated for years a stepping stool to a better life.
The protagonist in me believes that any program that could potentially take
away a job or an admission spot to a deserving individual should not be viewed
as ethical. It is a tough question to answer and would probably depend on how
the coin landed on that particular day.
References
Anderson, D. (2015). Top 10 reasons affirmative action should be eliminated.
Retrieved from
http://www.listland.com/top-10-reasons-affirmative-action-should-be-eliminated/
Andre, C., Velasquez, M., & Mazur, T. (n.d.).
Affirmative action: Twenty-five years of controversy. Retrieved from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v5n2/affirmative.html
Cassidy, J. (2013). Why America still needs affirmative action. Retrieved
from http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/why-america-still-needs-affirmative-action-
LaFollette, H. (2007). The Practice of Ethics. Malden, MA; Blackwell.
Slater, D. (2013, March 16). Does affirmative action do what it should?
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/opinion/sunday/does-affirmative-action-do-what-it-should.html
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