Why I'm Against Affirmative Action (1070 hits)
Category: PoliticsRating: 1 on 18 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by voytek_dolinski.at.yahoo.ca (View user info) at 2005-01-13 21:10:02 EST
Before I begin, I want to set some things straight. This is not a racist post or for that matter a bitter post where I complain to no end about why I didn't get that job I wanted. I am merely stating why I disapprove of Affirmative Action which has been a part of Canada for many years.
One reason I am against Affirmative Action is the notion that it tries to put everybody on the same scale, but fails to do so. Rather, it only takes into consideration a handful of the disadvantaged as opposed to all of the disadvantaged in society. Think of where visible minorities and women stand in society with regards to the class system. They tend to be among the working and lower classes. So while it is great to help out some of the underprivileged in society get a better life, why not apply it to all of the underprivileged?
However, the main reason I am against Affirmative Action is that it promotes stereotypes. No longer can a visible minority accept a position as a police officer, government worker or even as a student in a university with the knowingness that their race had nothing to do with them earning their spot. The pressure that must exist must be unbearable for some people, especially considering the large Caucasian population in Canada (save a few places).
"If I screw up once, everyone will think I got this job because of my skin colour..."
Affirmative Action just further perpetuates the stereotype that members of certain minority groups are not capable of earning anything themselves and in need of someone else's help in order to get anywhere in life.
It's easy to get angry when you feel someone's rights are placed before yours, isn't it? Try and remember that for every person in a minority group who speaks out strongly against a certain negative aspect of their treatment, there are a thousand other members in that same group who remain silent and go through worse treatment everyday.
Affirmative Action was a simple solution used by our government to combat racism. However, there is no simple solution to the complex problem of racism. Instead of hastily eliminating certain barriers that prevent visible minorities from moving up in the world, the government should try and figure out what those barriers are. With understanding and not blind acts of kindness we can truly put everyone on an equal playing field.
User Reviews
Submitted by podium (user info) at 2005-01-14 19:59:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Just one of those things everyone's got an opinion on.......I hope it was at least written and it provoked some ideas.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2005-01-14 07:27:16 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I agree with Darko in that a thing like AA is a temporary action, a short term implementation to try to curb racism in the work place. Obviously it's not the kind of thing thats meant to be left in place forever, only until minorities have fully merged into the existing society. Sadly various ethnic minorities in America have been trying this for hundreds of years and will go trying for quite a while to come.
Everyone knows that AA is a dodgy bit of legislation and that it causes resentment as well as oppurtunity, but there is little in the way of alternatives being suggested.
I don't believe that the problem is un-solvable but personally I have no idea as to what can be done.
Submitted by garyhal (user info) at 2005-01-14 05:01:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
You think it's a problem in North American (Canada and US)?? In South Africa,
Affirmative Action (or as the goverment bills it "Black Economic Empowerment"),
was listed as the No1 issue deterring foreign investment by an independant
survey for 2004.
AA works in theory, but in practice is a much more complicated matter. In the
past 10 years, over 40 Billion Rand of the BEE contracts awarded by our goverment
(666 Million Dollars - and trust me, in SA that's a shitload of money and buying
power) have went to 10 black individuals, while the bottom sector of the population
continues to live in poverty and see no real benefits of this BEE.
Althought technically qualified, black individuals are put into high powered jobs,
yet they lack the raw experience to do the Job successfully. Hence, a company will
have a white CEO/MD with 20+ years of experience, doing a great Job, replace him
with a young black man/woman, and consequently the company suffers and runs through
a list of 6 or 7 CEO's within a year or two, often paying each one exorberant redundancy
packages etc etc.
Also, white men are getting paid less and less to do the same Job as a black men who
get paid more, simply on the basis of skin colour and higher demand cause of AA policies,
ie. 5 blacks to 1 white in a business).
Of course, there are success stories, but I could blabber on and on and I'm bored now.
Submitted by metroidkillah (user info) at 2005-01-14 03:56:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
God I hate racists. They're reason something as stupid as affirmative Action was put into place. I would think that a person would be hired for a position because of his or her qualifications, not because of race. But many times that is not the case. Affirmative Action is, unfortunately, a necessary evil. I've been saying that for a long time. Nice to know somebody out there is actually thinking.
Submitted by Wiggles (user info) at 2005-01-14 02:12:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Slave reparations should be given to all families who have had enslaved ancestors, and minimal affirmative action should be in place.
Submitted by Divinity (user info) at 2005-01-13 23:01:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
It's not because you're white, Rob. It's because you're a redneck biker, fuckwad.
Submitted by BikerRob (user info) at 2005-01-13 22:45:57 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
I'm white, a single male and a veteran. Probably the most discriminated category in the US.
I can lose my job and my house and be forced out onto the street, nobody will do anything to help me. I don't qualify.
I've been told point blank by the US Post Office that I shouldn't waste my time applying for a job. They were only looking for minorites and females.
That's affirmative action? Bullshit. It's discrimination.
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2005-01-13 22:40:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I believe the only time it should be necessary for race to be specified is in medical tests or physical jobs where the difference in physiology actually makes a difference. I can't even think of anything that would fit that though.
Submitted by kochier (user info) at 2005-01-13 22:35:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Same thing with colleges, if you are of a certain ethincy they gave you extra points of your application to make the number of races who get into colleges more even.
Submitted by panoptican (user info) at 2005-01-13 22:30:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
The concept of race, in general, upholds racism and stereotypes. Not only should we do away with Affirmative Action, but we should also discontinue the labeling of individuals by race on applications, tests, in newspaper articles etc. Furthermore, organizations like NAACP should work toward debunking the concept that racial differences are scientificly backed. Sure, there are differences among ethnicity but that has little to do with skin color.
Submitted by Nobb (user info) at 2005-01-13 22:21:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
If liberty is the opposite of equality then take away my liberty.
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2005-01-13 21:56:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Jimmy is the stupidest fuck in the whole world.
Submitted by YELLOW-MAN (user info) at 2005-01-13 21:51:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i've always thought of ignorance as the greatest contradiction seeing as it's the desire to hate without actually knowing your enemy. But they always wonder why there enemy exists yet they never persue it. Funny how all that works, least I always thought so.
Submitted by williamson (user info) at 2005-01-13 21:49:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
http://www.ubersite.com/m/51305
Sure it's linkwhoring, but i said the same thing.
Submitted by Jimmy (user info) at 2005-01-13 21:49:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Not another egaliterean. What you and people like you need to realise is that equality is the opposite of liberty. When everyone is free to live up to their potential, peoples outcomes are different, because people have different levels of intelligence or other attributes such as work ethic and so on. Never mind just affirmative action, government needs to butt the fuck out of every aspect of peoples lives.
And as for this idea that canada has some complex problem with rascism, i'm pretty sure canadians are one of the friendliest and most reasonable nations on earth, if even they can't stop themselves from favouring white people then you have to consider that a preference for your own race is just innate to all humans, just as you would protect your own family before your neighbours family.
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2005-01-13 21:26:05 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
And it is only the social attitudes that cause the problems that affirmative action is trying to fix, provided that anti-discrimination laws are in place.
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2005-01-13 21:24:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Made me think - I am also against Affirmative Action, for the simple reason that I believe that the best person for the job should get it every time, regardless of race.
I believe that racism is only perpetuated by continuing distinctions between races, and that after a while, if all unnecessary laws and policies distinguishing between races and any other type of characteristic are abolished, the social problems associated with them will follow suit.
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2005-01-13 21:21:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Affirmative Action has been beneficial in the United States and i am sure that everybody would like to see it come to an end. But the question comes has affirmative action completed the goal it set out to do, is there an even playing field regardless of race when it comes to careers and education? The simple answer is no. So what needs to happen is there needs to be deadlines and guidelines set. Once people know when affirmative action they will be more motivated on the reciving end and more tolerablre of it to those who don't benefit.