Affirmative Action - Essay Example

Affirmative action dwells on a number of principles, which are based on admission and integration, where policies focus on employment and education, where it aims at having equal representation of all people (“Affirmative Action: Overview”). It works with people or a society in which people are marginalized bringing together the people for equal opportunities, where it started with attempting to eliminate discrimination and integrating people into a society that saw them as outcasts and denied them opportunities that were availed to them (“Affirmative Action”1). Because of this, the execution debate of affirmative action has raged based on this policy principle on the people of America. America is against affirmative action as it is a form of reverse discrimination and goes against the very same principles for which it fights, meaning that, since affirmative action was created to fight for the rights of the people whose rights were violated, it continues to run and be applied, as well as implemented in modern times. Based on modern information on affirmative action, the threshold of implementing and meeting the margin between discrimination and integration has been crossed meaning that there is more integration and people who were once discriminated against now have equal opportunities. Implementation of affirmative action in modern times, therefore, is an act of discriminating against the people who discriminated against those who are now conducting the discrimination. As such, the argument is that it creates an unfair advantage for certain groups over others, which translates to it being a discriminatory action against certain groups, creating grounds for it to be abolished and even done away with permanently. In addition, based on the same argument, the action or policy is a failure in terms of creating equal opportunities in the American society considering it only serves to counteract the gains made over many years in terms of protecting minority groups (Marklein). This can be seen in cases where minorities are discriminated where they are recognized by other members of society as having credible success as it is based on policies that go against the rest of the society by giving unfair advantages. Another argument against the same policy is based on the American constitution, where all individuals are subject to equal protection, which would then contradict the same policy of affirmative action. This is because the constitution calls for the protection of the rights of all Americans, which then makes all programs based on affirmative action policies invalid and in contradiction of the constitution (“Affirmative Action: Overview”). In this case, going against the constitution, which is the highest law of the land, is similar to having a lawless nation, which is what those against the policy argue. As such, there should be no discrimination whatsoever based on race, color, or ethnic origin as it is unconstitutional. Affirmative action advocates for unfair advantage, where certain parties or people are favored by the policy just because they have certain characteristics or properties that create room for special treatment, which further acts a factor to cause disunity amongst Americans. This again is followed by the earlier argument of countering the effects of the same law, when it was valid in relation to giving certain special room to match up with the rest of society. There are also arguments that call for the policy to be adopted, such that affirmative action should be implemented in today’s society for certain purposes. As such, they dwell on what affirmative action has done for the American people in terms of bringing them together in a manner that there is not much disparity between the various groups found in the American society. With this in mind, they perceive it as an inclusion policy that brings Americans together and creates equal opportunities for all social groups to be represented and for justice to prevail for all (“Affirmative Action” 2). They are for the implementation of the policy because without it, the American society would still be a discriminative one, and one that does not look into issues of marginalization. The above issue brings forth the concept of protection under the constitution, in that no single member of the society should be seen to be insignificant to the point of not being treated in the same way as the rest of the society. Under the constitution, all people are equal and affirmative action should be applied to meet the needs of all people in terms of representation and meet the terms and definitions of rights as spelled out in the same constitution. Still on the benefits of the same, there are arguments that without affirmative action, majority groups would continue to dominate the social scene in every way ranging from the economy, culture, education and even politics, where none of the minorities would be covered, translating to high-level discrimination. This is also the effect of being disadvantaged in terms of numbers, which creates room for seclusion and isolation, and therefore being trampled upon by the dominant people. The reason for the push for affirmative action is therefore to integrate and bring all people together under an equalitarian policy to see that all people are included and have their needs met. My opinion in this issue is that affirmative should take priority over its failure to implement as it brings to perspective the issues of the people and the special attention that should be given to them. This is in regard to bringing all people under one law and guarding all of them as it caters for a factor that the constitution overlooks, marginalization, and that all people cannot be treated equally at all times. This is in spite of violating the constitution, which further leaves my reaction to the issue torn, as there are factors to consider about both. However, my conclusion on the issue is that affirmative action is the way to go if at all, disparity is to be overcome, although there is need for moderation. In conclusion, the issue of implementing affirmative remains controversial due to the two sides warring over discrimination and integration, which remains to date and influence the policy. As such, implementation violates the constitution, whereas the constitution fails to protect fully people so that they are all treated equally under law. Works Cited “Affirmative Action”. American Civil Liberties Union. 2000. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. “Affirmative Action: Overview”. National Conference of State Legislation. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Marklein, Mary. “Affirmative action fight goes on”. USA TODAY. 2012. Web. 8 Mar. 2013. Read More