Affermative Action
The idea that different subcategories of humans exist, and that depending on one's point of view, some subcategories are inherently inferior to others, has been around since ancient times. This concept eventually gained the label of "race" in 1789, a "zoological term... generally defined as a subcategory of a species which inherits certain physical characteristics that distinguish it from other categories of that same species." (Tivnan 181). Although slavery has been by and large eliminated in virtually every part of the modern world, the concept used to rationalize its implementation, "racism", still plagues most modern cultures. Races that were once enslaved, or are minorities within their society, are often discriminated against in a variety of ways. This attitude can result in actions as severe as the Holocaust of World War II, or as minor as a dismissive glance from a salesman at an uptown department store. In America, an active war has been waged on discrimination since minorities and women rallied for equal rights in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. In the last 35 years, the American government has made strides toward ending discrimination altogether, enacting social policies designed t
Tivnan, Edward. The Moral Imagination . New York: Touchstone, 1996. I believe that affirmative action is a noble and well-intentioned program, and that at one time it may have been the correct policy to uphold, but now "The moment for affirmative action has passed." (Tivnan 200). Although the past injustices inflicted on blacks are certainly inexcusable, they are not justification for "payback" in a direct sense. Anyone directly involved in slavery is long since deceased, and although the legacy of slavery is alive and well today, we should be helping these impoverished people because we want to better our nation as a whole. By bringing as many people as possible above the poverty line, regardless of the color of their skin, we make America a better place. By increasing the quality of our pathetically under-funded public education system, and especially by easing cultural pressures on young inner-city blacks to drop out of school, we can make each generation better prepared to meet the challenges of today's workplace until a program such as affirmative action would be seen as insulting by any race. Other's argue that "you cannot wipe out injustice with another injustice" (Tivnan195). Discriminating against whites is just as wrong as discriminating against blacks. After all, when a society wants to make things equal, it does not mean reversing the current situation and trampling the rights of different demographic instead. Whites and blacks shouldn't be on separate lists in the career world, just as they shouldn't have separate dining accommodations (Tivnan195). Ano
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Approximate Word count = 1069
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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