Arguments for and Against Affirmative Action Essay example

Every year at the same time, thousands of students face the same difficult decision: What college should I attend? Consider two young men both of the highest intellectual capacity and deserving of admission into the nations most prestigious institution. Steven, high school All American, student body President, and leader of the debate team, hopes to be admitted to the university of his dreams. Christopher, most valuable player in the high school division and aspiring NBA athlete, wants to attend college with students of the same caliber. Stevens parents are both successful neurosurgeons at the local hospital planning to see to it that their son is awarded recognition for his efforts. Christophers mother, unemployed and unable to care†¦show more content†¦Over time the goals shifted from equality among the masses to diversity, which brings forth the issue at hand. Many have disputed and a clear point of view is still at bay. Does a systematic process of diversifying the workp lace and universities truly bring equality? One of the strongest arguments against this selective process according to a staff writer for The Christian Science Monitor is that it violates the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act. It is said that the 14th Amendment does not allow this form of preferential treatment in any case noting that no person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws.(3) The same individuals wonder after a level playing field has been made, what the purpose is of Affirmative Action. How can a program that is said to foster a more livable community where esteemed professionals do not exist still discriminate against other individuals? Take for example the story of Allan Bakke. The white student who possessed higher grades and test scores than a great percentage of other applicants. Bakke was denied admission into University of Californias medical school simply because the board set aside sixteen positions out of 100, strictly for minorities. After taking the university to court the ruling was that Bakke be admitted into the University, regardless of ethnicity, which brings forth another idea. The programs that have been initiated throughout the United States withinShow MoreRelatedAn Argument Against Affirmative Action Essay1716 Words   |  7 PagesPaved with Good Intentions: An Argument Against Affirmative Action Out of the jaws of civil war, the new United States had emerged. Broken and burning and minus 620,000 men, a new challenge lay before the nation: social equality. How would we address the sickening grievances endured by these African American now-citizens? That question has hallmarked fiery debates from dinner tables all the way to the Supreme Court for more than a century. During the Civil Rights Movement, millions of American citizensRead MoreArgument Against Affirmative Action Policies Essay1145 Words   |  5 PagesGroups that are in refutation of Affirmative Action professor Gary Becker, who states â€Å"Affirmative Action policies lowers standards of account ability need to push employees or student to perform better.† (Becker) Becker’s meaning behind this argument is that students or employees who are affecting by affirmative action tend to try harder than they should know that they are going to be accepted just because of Affirmative Action policies. Becker sa y this type of polices eventually hurts more thanRead MoreRace Based Affirmative Action On Higher Education Essay1445 Words   |  6 PagesRace-Based Affirmative Action in Higher Education In 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925, which created the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, or CEEO. 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Such disadvantagesRead MoreAffirmative Action : Discrimination And Ethnicity Essay1459 Words   |  6 PagesLucia Lopez Intro to Philosophy Professor Gill Affirmative Action In â€Å"Arguing Affirmative Action,† Harvard professor Michael J. Sandel discusses the arguments that have arisen from the entry of affirmative action into practice. Affirmative action refers to admission policies, in this case put into effect by universities, that provide equal access to education for groups that have been historically excluded or underrepresented, such as women and minorities. In his essay, Sandel asks whether itRead MoreAdvantages and Disadvantages of Affirmative Action Essay1667 Words   |  7 PagesEssay The Affirmative Action Debate Affirmative Action Defined Affirmative Action can be defined as â€Å"positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded (Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)†. However because those steps involve â€Å"preferential† selection affirmative action generates intense controversy (Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Affirmative Action (Negative)Read MoreAffirmative Action: Social Policy1348 Words   |  6 PagesAffirmative Action Affirmative action is a social policy created to promote the welfare of minorities by supporting the idea that individuals are all created equal and should not be judged by race or gender. Therefore, in situations like job and university applications, we should consider minorities to be as feasible a choice for hire as a white male candidate, taking into consideration their background. In short, it tries to give minorities that have been at a disadvantage their whole life, anRead MoreThe Importance Of Distributing Desert Based Aid At A Small Liberal Arts School1441 Words   |  6 PagesQuestion Three: In arguing in favor of the importance of distributing desert (merit) based financial aid at a small liberal arts school such as Green Mountain College, several arguments present themselves: one, desert based aid insures that incoming students meet a standard that facilitates strong academics, which in turn improves the school s reputation and contributes to its long term viability; two, it incentivises students to work hard academically, benefiting fellow students and faculty whoRead More Affirmative Action Is Not the Solution Essay1340 Words   |  6 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Affirmative action is a social policy created to promote the welfare of minorities by supporting the idea that individuals are all created equal and should not be judged by race or gender. Therefore, in situations like job and university applications, we should consider minorities to be as feasible a choice for hire as a white male candidate, taking into consideration their background. In short, it tries to give minorities that have been at a disadvantage their wholeRead More Two Views of Affirmative Action Essay1498 Words   |  6 PagesTwo Views of Affirmative Action We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal†¦. Even before it became a nation, America was heralded as a land of equality. Thomas Jeffersons statement begs more than a few questions, one of which is: How can we ensure equality to everyone? Beginning in the late 1960s, the federal government provided an answer to this question in the form of affirmative action. In recent years, many people have called this policy into question. Interestingly