Affirmative action. What was its purpose in the first place, and do we really need it now in the liberal super sensitive nineties? It began in an era when minorities were greatly under represented in universities and respectable professions. Unless one was racist, most agreed with the need of affirmative action in college admissions and in the workplace. Society needed an active law that enforced equality during a period when civil rights bills were only effective in ink. With so much of America¹s work force spawned from integrated schools now, some may question whether racism really is the problem anymore, and many college students might answer yes. They see it on college campuses today, and they are not sure why. Subconscious prejudices, self-segregation, political correctness, reverse discrimination, and ignorance all wade in the pool of opinions surrounding affirmative action and racial animosity. With racial tensions ever present in this country, one might question whether the problems can be solved by affirmative action.

Some feel that affirmative action in universities is the answer to the end of racism and inequality. If more black students get into and graduate from good

Young white students might also resent minorities when they view affirmative action as reverse discrimination. At a point where whites and blacks feel discriminated against, affirmative action begins to look ineffective. When affirmative action policies deny a white student admissions over a less qualified black student, racial aversions may swallow people¹s once open outlook. The University of Texas went to court when four white students were denied admission to its prestigious law school and a number of less qualified black students were admitted. Bitter white students are beginning to go to the law to fight reverse discrimination. Judges found that the University of Texas was guilty and that liberal use of affirmative action ³undercuts the ultimate goal of the 14th amendment: the end of racially motivated state action²(³Thumbs Down² 31). If affirmative action is eliminated completely in the nation, minorities in turn will become angry and cause the pendulum to possibly swing back to where we started(³Going, Going... 12). Some believe animosity will still breed until a happy medium is attained, and until the nation¹s goal is met, some advise affirmative action might effectively exist with a number of strict limitations.

There are so many possible answers to racism that just don¹t seem to work. It is a wonder universities have come this far under such controversial terms. ³The university is a temple of reason and tolerance or it is nothing² (Zuckerman 64). Higher learning institutions must almost be nothing though, because so many choices we make are not made out of reason or tolerance, but out of necessity. Affirmative action is the reason for more diverse student bodies, while at the same time, it might be the cause for more black failure rates in colleges. Its necessity is different at every moment in life; sometimes it is not the answer to universities¹ problems. It transformed from the cure to inequality on college campuses to quite possibly the reason for racism on campuses. Our subliminal judgments of one another are at the real root of a lot of quarrels, but we can work away at them until we see equal numbers on campuses and in businesses. With or without affirmative action a strong effort must be made by all races to reach

Ehrenreich believes affirmative action should guarantee that the best person regardless of race gets the job or gets into the school until it is all so ev

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