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Bree Motley English 151: Exploratory Essay Professor Lutz October 9, 2011

Are we trying to fix discrimination with discrimination? Is the United States government trying to keep minorities at a lower standard? Can we invent a color-blind society by creating color-blind programs? Growing up as an African American female I have many questions regarding the status of minorities. This is due to my personal experiences and the stories that Ive heard about the many ways minorities are degraded and treated unfairly in America. As the Civil Rights Movement boomed in the 1950s the government began to realize that they have to do something to undo the segregation and discrimination that they caused. Civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X stressed to the media and the government that something had to be done to create the equal society that minorities are entitled to. On September 24, 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246, prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, and national origin by those organizations receiving federal contracts and subcontracts ("A Brief History of Affirmative Action"). This concept is known as affirmative action. This was a program that was originated to further the opportunities for minorities in positions such as education and careers. In the early years of affirmative action many people including minorities thought of this concept as a very beneficial way to integrate America. Many people believed that this was the beginning to the end of segregation and racial profiling in the corporate and academic areas in America. However many people began to question whether this concept was beneficial to minorities or

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whether it was just an illegitimate program used to worsen the black community. According to the article On Why Education, Affirmative Action and Desegregation Destroyed the Black Community, The black family was far more stable 50 years ago, when conditions for blacks were far worse than they are today. Black out-of-wedlock births started to climb and marriage rates to fall around 1960, long after slavery was abolished and just as the civil rights movement gained momentum. Perhaps a more nuanced explanation for the recent deterioration is that the legacy of slavery made the black family more vulnerable to the cultural subversions of the 1960s. But what does this tell us that is useful today? The answer is: nothing . So what does this quote confirm about my questions? I take it that the author of this article believes that the concept of affirmative action is not the sole reason or even a huge reason to the factors that may have destroyed the black community. The author is saying like look back at all the obstacles that were placed upon the black community from slavery to the 1960s until today. We cant sit back and say that affirmative action destroyed the black community because there are so many other contributors to the deterioration of the black community. There are many Pros and Cons that are associated with affirmative action. I agree with both positions. According to the article Should affirmative action policies, which give preferential treatment based on minority status, be eliminated? the author Joe Messerli gives both positions and viewpoints on whether affirmative action should be eliminated. The view points in the article that state that Affirmative action should be eliminated included are: 1. Affirmative action leads to reverse discrimination 2. Affirmative action lowers standards of accountability needed to push students or employees to perform better

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3. Students admitted on this basis are often ill-equipped to handle the schools to which they've been admitted 4. It would help lead a truly color-blind society 5. It is condescending to minorities to say they need affirmative action to succeed. 6. It demeans true minority achievement; i.e. success is labeled as result of affirmative action rather than hard work and ability 7. Once enacted, affirmative actions are tough to remove, even after the underlying discrimination has been eliminated. I believe in all this concepts. Affirmative action creates reverse discrimanation due to people who arent a minority and they are qualified for a position but they arent given the position because they are white. Also within most of the key points on the list, the most common problem that people have with affirmative action is that it holds minorities at a lower standard and it basically says that minorities need affirmative to achieve success. While affirmative action was created to enable African Americans to greater opportunities, it immediately identifying the more intelligent African Americans. However, the most qualified African American didnt also get accepted to the college/ university or didnt always get the job. In other words African Americans werent necessarily given the acceptance to college or the job due to their qualifications but because the government told colleges and businesses that they have to. It disable society to notice how intelligent African Americans really are because many people believe that African Americans are successful because the government mandated it.

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Also many people argue that the end of affirmative action will also actually create a color-blind society (which was supposed to be the purpose of the program in the first place). Instead of businesses and colleges trying to meet a quota that is given to them by the government. If you think about it, every time you fill out a job application, college application, etc. theres always an area to check your race, eye color, and nationality. What if instead the government mandated that those questions and that entire area is prohibited from being present on an application? I cant seem to understand how the color of your skin or your eye color relates to your intelligence or qualifications for any position.

On the other hand, Joe Messerli believes that affirmative action was a great invention by the government and it makes America diverse. The pros of affirmative action as beneficial includes:

1. Diversity is desirable and won't always occur if left to chance. 2. Students starting at a disadvantage need a boost. 3. Affirmative action draws people to areas of study and work they may never consider otherwise. 4. Some stereotypes may never be broken without affirmative action. 5. Affirmative action is needed to compensate minorities for centuries of slavery or oppression.

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These viewpoints are also true however I question some of them such as, number 5, Affirmative action is needed to compensate minorities for centuries of slavery or oppression. I disagree with this key point because it basically says that since over the past hundreds of years African Americans were treated unfairly, working for free (slavery), and denied civil rights that they were entitled too that the least the government can do is attempt to provide them with better opportunities as a way to say sorry. However, affirmative action doesnt grant every African American a job or an acceptance at any school. We still have to override the indirect racism that affirmative action give. Its pretty much a lose-lose situation. Overall, I have learned a lot from my research findings, and I feel much more informed about affirmative action and its effects on the African community. I originally stood 100% for affirmative action. I believe that anything that was made to benefit minorities actually benfited us. Until I took a close look at the negative effects. After my research , I can now say that I am firmly agasint affirmative action. I believe that it keeps African Americans at a lower standard, and that it gives other races the ability to look down on us and say the only reason for any success as an African American is due to affirmative action. I do understand the view points and position for Pro-affirmative actioners; however, it does more damage than good.

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Works Cited "A Brief History of Affirmative Action." OEOD. The University of California, Aug. 2010. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.oeod.uci.edu/aa.html>. Dana. "On Why Education, Affirmative Action and Desegregation Destroyed the Black Community | Minarchy." Minarchy | No, It's NOT When Midgets Take over the Government. 17 Aug. 8. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://minarchyblog.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/on-why-education-affirmative-actionand-desegregation-destroyed-the-black-community/>. Messerli, Joe. "Should Affirmative Action Policies, Which Give Preferential Treatment Based on Minority Status, Be Eliminated?" BalancedPolitics.org - Free Balanced, Non-Partisan Discussion of Political & Social Issues for Debate (Pros and Cons - Decision Making Politics). 7 May 2011. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.balancedpolitics.org/affirmative_action.htm>.

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