affirmative action 2
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson used the term affirmative action to inform federal contractors to treat job-applicants and employees "without regards to their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin" (Lyndon B. Johnson). In the preceding year the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed simply to make laws "color-blind". However, such movement went further than merely giving equal opportunities to everyone, it progressed into the real meaning of affirmative action, which is measures taken by the United States to give opportunities to minorities by favors such as hiring and promotion, college admission, and the awarding of government contracts. Such policies did not express the true meaning of equal opportunities, which was introduced in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but rather took its own steps into a form of discrimination. Equal opportunities means that it should not be given with regards to the race, color, religion, gender, and national origin of the recipients but should be based solely on the merit of the individual. Instead of practicing affirmative action, which produces an effect of discrimination, reverse discrimination, and the inability of competition, the society should help the minorities to become more qual
ified and, the unqualified shouldn't be given the chance unless the opportunity requires the employment of a specific minority. Generally, there are two types of dealings with affirmative action: setting a goal or establishing a quota. In setting a goal, for example, a company "might advertise job openings on Spanish-language radio shows" (Gross). A goal means that a company would not hire less qualified people but only qualified minorities for a rational cause. However, by establishing a quota, companies restrict themselves to hiring minorities, even if they are less qualified. Therefore, people who were denied of their merit are deprived of their opportunity to compete in a country where it is guaranteed that "all men are created equal". Gross, Andrea. "A Question of Fairness." LHY Select. March 1996: 2-5 In a country where fairness is an issue in the everyday debates, favoritism is a factor that must be factored out of the equation. Under affirmative action, the people are judged by who they are instead of what they've done. Thus, it produces a sense of discrimination to either side (minorities or everybody else). To rectify the problems caused by affirmative action, less qualified people shouldn't be given a chance but should be assisted to be more qualified or simply, work harder. Especially in this land of opportunities, we must forget about the differences of people base on who they are, but look broader to people's merits. Glastris, Paul. "The thin white line." U.S. News and World Report. August 1994: 53-54 Terry, Wallace. "Racial Preferences are Outdated." Parade. May 1998. From simple statistics, affirmative action can be proven to be u
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Approximate Word count = 1126
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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