Role of Affirmative Action in Society - Term Paper Example

7 Historically, it can be d that many people in different societies suffered various forms of discrimination such as exclusion from equal employment opportunities on the basis of race or gender among other factors. However, various measures have been taken in order to address this anomaly which has been a source of disharmony among different people in society particularly the ones affected by this practice. One initiative designed to address this issue is affirmative action and it is given prominence in different countries. As such, this paper seeks to critically analyse the role of affirmative action in different societies. The paper starts by giving the meaning of the concept in order to get a clear understanding of issues related to this topic. The main body of the paper will then analyse different clippings that are related to this chosen topic in a bid to establish the significance of affirmative action in different societies. According to Nittle (2012), “affirmative action is a federal agenda initiated in the 1960s that’s designed to counteract historic discrimination faced by ethnic minorities, women and other underrepresented groups.” Different institutions have affirmative action programs that are designed to prioritize issues related to inclusion of all minority groups in education, employment as well as different government sectors. Information obtained from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-affirmative-action.htm (2012) posits to the effect that there are several issues that are designed to be addressed by affirmative action and these include the past history of discrimination where it is believed that many people were excluded from jobs, schools as well as social endeavors and this discrimination caused a lot of disadvantages among the affected people. Affirmative action is also designed to address current discrimination as well as to create a diverse society that is fully integrated. Our society has historically placed home and family responsibilities on women and some people believed that women cannot be able to perform in the same way as men do in different jobs. However, research has shown that there is no evidence indicating that an employee’s gender affects job performance (Robbins, 1994). Racial discrimination has also been rife in different countries where some people were denied the opportunity to enjoy meaningful employment that could improve their welfare. According to Pearlman & Daniels (ND), it can be noted that remedying racial discrimination in a fair and meaningful way is quite difficult and complex. It is believed that affirmative action if properly applied has proved to be a very effective tool that can help to create a better and more equitable society to live to all people. These authors also believe that there should be no quotas or special preferences when it comes to employment. Rather, diversity should be advocated in all societies. Against this background, it can be noted that many countries have various laws that fall under the ambit of affirmative action. Companies as well as government institutions are also encouraged to promote diversity in their operations so that they are in a position to cater for the needs of many people. Proponents of affirmative action policies posit to the effect that not only minority groups are set to benefit from this type of legislation but the company and the workplace at large is likely to benefit immensely from this particular type of arrangement. The advantage of including many people from diverse backgrounds in aspects such as decision making in an organization is advantageous given that a lot of diverse ideas will be raised by the people involved in this process. These policies are also designed to ensure that class, cultural as well as socio economic gaps between people from different backgrounds are reduced and this is very effective in creating a harmonious society. Many laws related to this topic revolve around the aspect of equal opportunities among all people since it is widely believed that all people have equal rights. Therefore, they should also be able to get equal opportunities to secure employment of their choice so that they can be in a position to satisfy their own needs. People from different backgrounds have personal needs and these can be satisfied if these people are given the chance to look for their desired kind of work without being discriminated by the employers on the basis of gender or race. Therefore, the following section seeks to analyse different clippings related to this topic in a bid to establish the extent to which affirmative action can be useful to different members of the society. According to a story by Harris, Luke entitled “The success of affirmative action,” published in The New York Times, July 14, 2008, affirmative has brought various advantages to previously disadvantaged people especially in the United States. The author chronicles how this shift in policy change towards addressing issues related to race and poverty has significantly helped in uplifting the life of different people. The author of the above letter states said: “Through affirmative action programs, I got myself into college and then into Yale Law School, where I crossed paths with Mr. Carter.” The author attributes his success story to affirmative action. For instance he says: “the dramatic growth of the black middle class is attributable to the opportunities that were provided to talented people who would otherwise have suffered from our societal legacy.” By any standard, it can be noted that affirmative action has significantly helped in assisting people who belonged to different groups that were previously disadvantaged to realise their dreams through creation of equal opportunities for all citizens in the US. From the author’s personal experience, it can be noted that affirmative action plays a very important role in improving the welfare of different people in various societies. Kelly, Raina also wrote a story entitled “Don’t call it affirmative action,” and it was published inThe Daily Beast, February 17, 2010. This story clearly shows that even though people have various perceptions about the notion of affirmative action, it can be noted that affirmative action has significantly improved the lives of many people. The author states that affirmative action is not designed to play favourites to different people. Instead, the author says “It is a system designed to make sure that everybody is getting into college through their qualifications whether you are a poor kid from East L.A. or a fourth-generation legacy.” As noted above, this system is centered on the notion of equality among all people. All previously disadvantaged people especially African Americans now have the opportunity to attend any higher learning institution of their choice in the US. The story by Aljazeera entitled “The end of race based affirmative action?” published on October 16, 2012 suggests that affirmative action is very effective with regards to dealing with issues of equal opportunities to all people in different places. This point is supported by the following statement: “A good start to stopping discrimination would be getting rid of the boxes on applications. Male, female, race, whatever.” Elements related to gender or race should not be taken into consideration in as far as selection of students to different institutions of learning is concerned. This system should be as transparent as possible and it should provide equal opportunities to all people so that they can get places to pursue their academic careers at any institution they desire to go. The issue of colour bar can be effectively dealt with if all tenets of affirmative action are carefully implemented. This can be done if concerted efforts are put by all people involved in the selection process of candidates to different colleges. Horn, Heather also published a story entitled “One French Schools Secret for Making Affirmative Action Work,” on April 9, 2012 chronicles how affirmative action has changed the education system in France. For instance, “in the early 2000s, Descoings and Sciences Po introduced what could only be called affirmative action.” This saw a shift in the selection criteria used by the institution since it was only reserved for people coming from elite social backgrounds only. This meant that people from poor backgrounds could not enrol at this institution. In terms of equal opportunities, it can be noted that the system used by this institution violated the rights of many people who aspired to enrol at this institution on the basis of their social backgrounds. In other words, this system could be categorised as discriminatory but it has been resolved through the introduction of affirmative action. The other story related to affirmative action was written by Quinn Rob and published by the Wall Street Journal on June 14, 2012 states that there are mixed feelings towards the aspect of affirmative action. In a story entitled “Obamas Rise Sparks Affirmative Action Debate,” it can be noted that the issue of affirmative action is not well understood by some of the people and some also doubt its authenticity. For instance, the story states that people have been wondering how an African American can rise to presidency while other people point their fingers at continued inequality. To a certain extent, it can be noted that some people have the view that Obama does not represent the true interests of African Americans due to the fact that there are many incidences of inequalities that still exist in America. However, many people believe that affirmative action has significantly improved the situation in this country which was strongly racialised. Another story by Francis Mathew called “Affirmative action for women in math contests boosts participation without dropping results” which was published on February 2, 2012 speaks high about the benefits of affirmative action especially to women. The author of this particular story suggests that affirmative action is very important in as far as elevation of women is concerned. The author states that active promotion of underrepresented groups is very effective since this help to close the gender gap that used to exist in many societies. The author also states that “affirmative action, on the other hand, not only changes the odds of success by women, but also increases their confidence and willingness to compete in the first place.” If this strategy is carefully implemented in different institutions, it can be noted that women can be inspired to take up positions in organizations that were previously reserved for men. However, with the advent of affirmative action, it can be seen that all people are presented with equal opportunities and they can be elevated to high positions in the company on the basis of their capability not gender. This helps different people to realise their own dreams in life without facing obstacles such as gender based discrimination. The other success story of affirmative action was written by Brian Sandoval, Susana Martinez and Ted Cruz and it is entitled “Ted Cruz is the latest success story for Hispanic republicans,” published on November 14, 2012. In this story, the authors suggest that this candidate has been favoured by people as a result of his stance towards conservative ideas that are meaningful to different parties involved. This can also be attributed to the aspect of affirmative action which has significantly changed the political landscape in this country. All people now have the opportunity to contest in any election and it can be seen that even whites can vote for African Americans as long as they have proved that they can deliver development to their respective areas. The aspect of equal opportunity has seen many people being involved in politics and they are treated as equal partners regardless of their race or gender. To a larger extent, it can be noted that the notion of equality has significantly helped many Americans to realise their own goals. However, some authors believe that the concept of affirmative action has helped in creating confusion among different people and it has also been seen as a new form of inequality. For instance, a story by Harris Winfrey Tamara, entitled “Arizona’s negative on affirmative action” published November 5, 2010, shows that people have various perceptions towards the aspect of affirmative action. For instance, people in Arizona have struck off affirmative action from what they view as the state’s unfinished business. Many people are of the opinion that this initiative gives unfair representation to minorities which at the end of the day results in discrimination of whites in some cases. Some people are denied certain positions since minority groups are often given preferential treatment all in the name of affirmative action. It can be seen that to a certain extent, affirmative action places more emphasis on representing the interests of minority groups at the expense of dominant classes in many states. According to Blanchard who wrote a story entitled “Senator Jim Webb’s Negative on Affirmative Action,” posted on July 26, 2010, there are also negative aspects about affirmative action which should be revisited. Senator Jim highlighted some of the factors which he think have affected the whites in as far as affirmative action is concerned. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, the senator posits to the effect that a wide range of government enforced diversity policies have negatively impacted on many whites since they are the ones now being marginalised as a result of the special preference given to the previously disadvantaged groups. The author argues that this is the right time to allow all the Americans to benefit fairly in the future. The author aptly sums up his argument when he aptly states that “it remains a fact that discrimination in favour of someone means that discrimination against someone else. The other story that looks at the negative aspect of affirmative action was written by Fishman, Rob entitled “Sotomayor: a negative for affirmative action” published on June 16, 2009. The story highlights the outstanding achievements of Sotomayor but the problem related to this achievement is that there is a tendency by people to place more emphasis on achievements made by people belonging to formerly minority groups. Whilst the aspect of diversity is very important in as far as inclusion of all people in better employment opportunity is concerned, it can be seen that some of the people belonging to groups that are seen as dominant end up being marginalised as a result of the implementation of affirmative action. This means that the minority will get more benefits compared to other members of the society. However, the notion of affirmative action mainly focuses on equality and inclusion of the interests of all people. However, preferential treatment to other people disadvantages other members of the society. Some people believe that affirmative action policies create unfair disadvantages to other members of the society. This claim is illustrated by Vasavi in a story entitled “From where I sit - Negative on affirmative action,” posted on November 6, 2008. The author posits to the effect that the notion of affirmative action for students in India should be extended to all other people given that in some states, “up to 70 per cent of places in higher education, especially in technology and medicine, are "reserved" for disadvantaged caste and tribal groups.” This has often resulted in violence among supporters of affirmative action and those who are against it. Those against it believe that positive discrimination violets the fundamental rights of the citizens hence the system should be abolished. Instead of creating equality, the system is seen as responsible for creating divisions among people which is a source of in the affected societies. This situation has to be addressed in order to promote harmony among all citizens in this country. In another story entitled “U-T: Affirmative Action Tweet Gets Negative Reaction” published on November 14, 2012, it can be seen that the issue of affirmative action has brought about various controversies in the political arena in the US since it is seen as responsible for creating fissures among members of the society. The whites argue that some people belonging to minority groups are given preferential treatment at universities and colleges which entails that deserving people are often sidelined on the bases of elements such as race. The aim of affirmative action is to promote equality among all people but as the case stands, it can be seen that the policy is designed to protect the interests of the minority people at the expense of other groups. This means that this kind of system is not fair since some people state that it emphasizes on the aspect of preferential treatment to other groups. The other author who dwells on the subject of affirmative action is Hammouda, Hussein, in an article entitled “Affirmative action...or negative action,” and it was published on March 20, 2012. The author states that some people especially whites are advocating for the abolishment of affirmative action at universities given that they think it gives unfair advantages to other previously disadvantaged races. As such, these groups are of the view that this system should be abolished since it does not represent their interests. However, the author also tries to reconcile this argument by highlighting some of the positive aspects about affirmative action. The author states that there is need to re-evaluate the concept of affirmative action in order to see the grey areas that need to be refined so that they suit the needs of different people. This initiative should benefit different people in society and it should mainly derive from the notion of inclusion as well as equal representation. Another paper by the University of Rhode Island, “Affirmative action” 2007, also talks about the issue of affirmative action. In this case, the author argues that affirmative action uses reverse discrimination in as far as employment is concerned. It advocates for reverse discrimination in that the tables are turned against the former dominant groups in this particular case. The minority groups are given special preference in as far as employment is concerned. The reason is that measures are being put in place in order to appease the victims of discrimination on the basis of issues such as gender as well as race. However, the author also states that besides the shortcomings of affirmative action, it can be seen that it is necessary. This point is also supported by Vikram Amar & Sander, Richard, in an article entitled “Does affirmative action hurt minorities?” which was published on September 26, 2007. These authors also highlight certain short comings of affirmative action but they agree that this is a necessary tool in as far as the need to address issues related to racial discrimination is concerned. Over and above, it can be noted that various forms of discrimination which include exclusion from equal employment opportunities as a result of race or gender existed in many countries during the past years. However, certain measures have been proposed by different countries in order to correct this situation and the affirmative action has been seen as a viable tool that can be used to deal with this particular problem. Different institutions have affirmative action programs that are designed to prioritize issues related to inclusion of all minority groups in education, employment as well as different government sectors. As noted above, it can be seen that if properly implemented, affirmative action can be a very effective tool that can be used to deal with issues related to discrimination as well as exclusion from employment on the basis of factors such as race and gender. There are many advantages that can be associated with this system as shown in the discussion above. Indeed, some people have criticised the whole system but the truth is that it is a better way of solving problems related to exclusion hence the need for all stakeholders positively contribute their views so that the system can be refined in such a way that it represents the interests of all people. References Aljazeera, “The end of race based affirmative action?” October 16, 2012. Viewed 14 November, 2012 from, . Blanchard, K. “Senator Jim Webb’s Negative on Affirmative Action,” July 26, 2010, viewed November 14, 2012 from, . Brian Sandoval, Susana Martinez and Ted Cruz. “Ted Cruz is the latest success story for Hispanic republicans,” November 14, 2012, http://www.voxxi.com/ted-cruz-latest-hispanic-republican/ Francis Mathew, “Affirmative action for women in math contests boosts participation without dropping results” arstechnica. February 2, 2012, Viewed November 14, 2012 . Fishman, Rob, “Sotomayor: a negative for affirmative action” June 16, 2009, viewed November 14, 2012, < http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rob-fishman/sotomayor-a-negative-for_b_216247.html>. Hammouda, Hussein, “Affirmative action...or negative action,” March 20, 2012, College Magazine. Viewed November 14, 2012, . Harris, Luke Charles. “The success of affirmative action,” New York Times, July 14, 2008, viewed November 14, 2012 from, Harris Winfrey Tamara, “Arizona’s negative on affirmative action” The Guardian. November 5, 2010, viewed November, 14, 2012, . “U-T: Affirmative Action Tweet Gets Negative Reaction”10 News, November 14, 2012. Horn, Heather. “One French Schools Secret for Making Affirmative Action Work,” April 9, 2012. The Atlantic, viewed November 14, 2012 from, . Kelly, Raina. “Don’t call it affirmative action,” The Daily Beast, February 17, 2010, viewed November 14, 2012, < http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/02/17/don-t-call-it-affirmative-action.html >. Nittle, N.K. (2012). What is affirmative action? Viewed November 14, 2012, . Pearlman, M.W. & Daniels, G. (ND), Affirmative action benefits all of society, Viewed November, 14, 2012, . Quinn, Rob, “Obamas Rise Sparks Affirmative Action Debate,” June 14 2008.” Newser, viewed November 14, 2012, . Robbins, S.P. (1993). Organisational behaviour: Concepts, controversies and applications.6th Edition. NJ: Prentice Hall. University of Rhode Island, “Affirmative action” 2007, viewed November 14, 2012, . Vasavi, A, “From where I sit - Negative on affirmative action,” November 6, 2008, Times Higher Education, viewed November 14, 2012 . Vikram Amar & Sander, Richard, “Does affirmative action hurt minorities?” September 26, 2007, Los Angeles Times, viewed November 14, 2012 . Wise Geek (2012). What is affirmative action? Viewed November 14, 2012, from . Read More