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Affirmative Action

Is affirmative action necessary in today's society?

  • Yes, it bridges the disparity between minority and non-minority students and workers

    Votes: 5 8.5%
  • Yes, it is important for the social welfare and diversity of the country

    Votes: 4 6.8%
  • No, it encourages individuals to identify themselves as "disadvantaged"

    Votes: 25 42.4%
  • No, it provides a basis for "reverse-discrimination"

    Votes: 34 57.6%
  • No, it is devalues the accomplishments of both those who it benefits and those it does not

    Votes: 31 52.5%
  • It is necessary for gender, but not race

    Votes: 2 3.4%
  • It is necessary for race, but not gender

    Votes: 1 1.7%
  • Other, please specify

    Votes: 9 15.3%

  • Total voters
    59

Sanitas

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Extending on from the "Are some republicans racist?" poll.

Is affirmative action necessary in today's society?

__________________________________________


How exactly does affirmative action increase diversity? It just gives the minority the job, the title, or the college position over a non-minority. The diversity is already there.

Also, in a modern society, I believe it can be counterproductive. If anything, it could turn someone racist who wasn't otherwise.

A little insight - I'm the average white male that this policy turns its back to.
 
I don't think it is needed today. I think at one time it was simply to make up the gap difference between different groups, but in today's context is unnecessary and breeds hostility between those different groups.
 
I'm against it. I agree, it breeds resentments. It makes people paranoid of the system. It makes people suspect that minorities aren't really qualified for the positions they may hold.
 
I think affirmative action is curing the symptoms and not the disease. Work to combat the reasons why minorities historically have more problems getting into good schools/jobs instead.
 
AA has served its purpose and needs to be nuked like the Drug War. AA in todays times only gives a soap box to human filth like Sharpton, Jackson, Duke, Buchanan and the rest.
 
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In my opinion, Affirmative Action has never been necessary.

If my interpretation of it is correct, it basically gave and/or gives minorities a boost over and above that which their innate abilities do.

In my mind, AA is telling minorities "Well, you can't meet the requirements on your own, because of your minority status, so we're going to lower the bar for you".

A simple requirement to not discriminate based on race in all situations would have been and is much more reasonable.

Now, giving someone a leg up due to the location where they grew up (such as a very poor urban neighborhood) and said location's low quality school system is another story.

Edit: But even there, it's only a bandage on a large wound, not a proper surgical repair job.
 
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I voted no, both for the reason that it can encourage people to claim to be disadvantaged, and that it can encourage "reverse-discrimination" although I hate that term, as it implies that there is a direction that discrimination should properly go in. I like to think that we as a nation have reached the point in the maturity of our race relations that employers can consider applicants based on their qualifications and not on their personal circumstances, whatever those might be.
 
I think affirmative action is curing the symptoms and not the disease. Work to combat the reasons why minorities historically have more problems getting into good schools/jobs instead.

I really feel that the problems that most minority groups have now is not a problem associated with being a minority, but with being poor. The way to address those problems is to address the problems with being poor. That does not mean giving them money(giving a man a fish), but to improve education in poor areas so that the people there have more opportunities to earn a better life(teaching a man to fish).
 
I really feel that the problems that most minority groups have now is not a problem associated with being a minority, but with being poor. The way to address those problems is to address the problems with being poor. That does not mean giving them money(giving a man a fish), but to improve education in poor areas so that the people there have more opportunities to earn a better life(teaching a man to fish).

This is what I never understood about arguments for AA. "We need to help minorities because they're disproportionately poor." Well why don't you address the fact they're poor? Why is a middle class Black person any more deserving of lower standards than a poor White person?
 
The term "reverse-discrimination" makes it seem like there's some law somewhere that states what discrimination should be. Leave that sh*t alone.
 
AA has served its purpose and needs to be nuked like the Drug War. AA in todays times only gives a soap box to human filth like Sharpton, Jackson, Duke, Buchanan and the rest.

I have to laugh at myself for thinking you were talking about Alcoholics Anonymous because I didn't know all those folks had utilized their services.:mrgreen:

Alcoholics Anonymous: good.:)

Affirmative Action: outlived its usefulness long ago.
 
This is insane - for one of the first times in DP history, a thread without true disagreement!

EDIT: Let me just pose a question! If there were more minorities on DP, would they be in favor or opposed to affirmative action?
 
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This is insane - for one of the first times in DP history, a thread without true disagreement!

EDIT: Let me just pose a question! If there were more minorities on DP, would they be in favor or opposed to affirmative action?

I disagree! :cool: No, I'm kidding.

I'm a minority and I don't like AA in a time when its unnecessary.
 
[devil's advocate]

There are still good ol' boy networks that need to be broken up, so that is why AA is necessary.

[/advocate]
 
Extending on from the "Are some republicans racist?" poll.

Is affirmative action necessary in today's society?

__________________________________________


How exactly does affirmative action increase diversity? It just gives the minority the job, the title, or the college position over a non-minority. The diversity is already there.

Also, in a modern society, I believe it can be counterproductive. If anything, it could turn someone racist who wasn't otherwise.

A little insight - I'm the average white male that this policy turns its back to.

Since there is no "No, it provides a basis for discrimination.", I selected other. "Reverse-discrimination" is still discrimination. Race,gender, religious or what ever else that discriminates hiring practices should be illegal. The only reason you should be discriminated against is if you do not meet the job qualifications.
 
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Since there is no "No, it provides a basis for discrimination.", I selected other. "Reverse-discrimination" is still discrimination. Race,gender, religious or what ever else that discriminates hiring practices should be illegal. The only reason you should be discriminated against is if you do not meet the job qualifications.

Or if you're annoying. I'd discriminate for that.
 
affirmative action programs are very much needed today
but they should not base eligibility on the race of the participant
as chief justice roberts noted,
The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race
those who should receive special attention are those who are in poverty
a disproportionate number of black and hispanic individuals will qualify to participate just as asians and whites will be eligible to participate, only in smaller proportions
 
I really feel that the problems that most minority groups have now is not a problem associated with being a minority, but with being poor. The way to address those problems is to address the problems with being poor. That does not mean giving them money(giving a man a fish), but to improve education in poor areas so that the people there have more opportunities to earn a better life(teaching a man to fish).

I definitely agree with you. One of my biggest problems with affirmative action is that it does nothing to help poor white kids, who go to the same crappy schools as the poor minorities that it DOES help.
 
Isn't necessary now. Wasn't necessary in the past.

It's essentially Pandora's box. Open it and all the evils are unleashed. Now if you want to revoke it, you're a white racist.
 
affirmative action programs are very much needed today
but they should not base eligibility on the race of the participant
as chief justice roberts noted,
those who should receive special attention are those who are in poverty
a disproportionate number of black and hispanic individuals will qualify to participate just as asians and whites will be eligible to participate, only in smaller proportions

Ivy league schools as well as places like Williams, Amherst etc tended to see black as "disadvantaged". That is why my class at yale had lots of rich black kids who didn't do very well academically and very few poor white kids save for some athletic recruits
 
I think affirmative action is curing the symptoms and not the disease. Work to combat the reasons why minorities historically have more problems getting into good schools/jobs instead.

You can't do that because one of the biggest reasons minorities fail, at least poor minorities, is because they are mired in an inherently harmful "culture" that values failure and criticizes success. Arguing that they have to change their "culture" is going to be seen as racism by the minority hate-mongers.

You really can't win.
 
You can't do that because one of the biggest reasons minorities fail, at least poor minorities, is because they are mired in an inherently harmful "culture" that values failure and criticizes success.

Wait what?
 
You can't do that because one of the biggest reasons minorities fail, at least poor minorities, is because they are mired in an inherently harmful "culture" that values failure and criticizes success. Arguing that they have to change their "culture" is going to be seen as racism by the minority hate-mongers.

You really can't win.

and what is your excuse for the poor majority citizens who fail if not their culture
this is especially significant recognizing that they represent the largest segment of the population requiring government assistance
 
Affirmative Action is a double edged sword. It allows evening up the playing field after 400 years of discrimination but then racist POS tend to think that if you're black and you accomplish anything, like becoming president or graduating from Harvard, it is because you're black.
 
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