My Stand On Affirmative Action Essay, Research Paper

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Nick DiLorenzo

Professor William Clyburn

CROSS CULTURAL COMUNICATION

11 May, 2000

MY Base ON AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

When I began to roll up research for my term paper, I was certain what to concentrate on. Every clip I visited a medical installation, I noticed a colour line dividing the wellness attention professionals. It seemed evident to me that the bulk of orderlies were African American and the bulk of the physicians and nurses were Caucasic. I believed this was the instance because of bias in the human resource section. I felt, particularly here in Sarasota a really unintegrated community, that African Americans were non acquiring the same chances as their Caucasic counter parts. With this thought in head, I proceeded to interview the manager of a local mental wellness installation. With a pen and tablet of paper in manus I proceeded to examine the inner most deepnesss of this racially instigated job. What I found was equal hire for equal accomplishments. Harmonizing to this caput of staff, it did non count if the campaigner was black, white, green or purple ; the best individual was hired for the occupation. So why was it that so many of the lower educationally demanding places was filled by African Americans? That is when it hit me like a ton of lead. EDUCATION is the indispensable factor in all of this. This disclosure led to many other inquiries. For case, why do more Whites

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attend college than inkinesss? Why do more inkinesss that attend college bead out than Whites? Why do those inkinesss that finish college have lower grade point norms?

In the pages to follow I will try to explicate why this state of affairs is the manner it is today. I will try to walk in the places of the people who live with this enigma, the black college pupil.

Over the past four decennaries, African American College pupils have been in the limelight more than any other American pupil has. This is because they are non merely pupils any longer but they are the authoritiess trying to do up for so many old ages of atrocious intervention spurned on by racial prejudice. The authorities has instituted plans such as affirmatory action, which allows minorities an equal opportunity to acquire a good instruction in elect schools that they probable would non hold the opportunity to go to. Nonetheless, the national college bead out rate among inkinesss pupils in the 1990 & # 8217 ; s is 20 to 25 per centum higher than Whites. Among those that finish college, their grade point norm is two tierces lower than of Whites. Why? One ground may be society itself. Do we automatically lower are criterions when it comes to black pupils. Excessively much coddling and handholding in order to do ourselves experience better? Alternatively, does society non make plenty, pretermiting them to the point of failure? On the other manus, is it the black civilization itself? Poor motive, deficiency of household and community support, economic want. In recent old ages, society has come to see the in-between category black household as non being deprived because of race. Why should a boy of a physician be taken over a hapless truck drivers son merely because he

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is black? This is a large inquiry in the instance of affirmatory action. With all the chances afforded the black pupil, why the low-test tonss and the high bead out rates.

Claude M.Steele, a professor at Stanford University, in his article Thin Ice

& # 8220 ; Stereotype Threat & # 8221 ; and Black College Students, describes the menace of being viewed through the lens of a negative stereotype, or the fright of making something that would unwittingly corroborate that stereotype as the chief ground for below mean consequences. He goes on in his article to depict a verbal trial given to both black and white pupils mensurating ability. The consequences were dramatically different prefering the white pupils. His account is in affairs of race we frequently assume that when a state of affairs is objectively the same for different groups, it is experienced the same manner by each group. This might particularly look true with standardised cognitive testing. However, for black pupils, trouble with the trial makes the negative stereotype relevant as an reading of their public presentation and of them. They know that right off they are perceived as holding limited ability. When groups are non stereotyped the manner they do non see the excess bullying. Something other than ability was involved and Steele feels it is the negative stereotype menace.

However, what about motive or possibly the black pupils accomplishments were less than the white pupils were? Steele so reasoned if the bullying factor was lessened so the consequences would be different. Again, they brought black and

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white pupils together merely this clip the trial was said to hold no bearing on ability. As if person turned of William Cross & # 8217 ; s anxiousness spotlight the black pupils tonss rose to run into their white opposite numbers. This one simple direction had a profound alteration on the significance of the state of affairs. Steele contends with black pupils negative stenotypes apply in many state of affairss, even personal 1s. Why did that individual handle me that manner? Why did the white miss non return my telephone calls? Is it because of race or something else about him? He can non to the full disregard the inquiry and this raises even deeper 1s, such as will his race be a boundary to his college experience, to his emotions, to his relationships, to his life? With clip the black pupil may tire of the excess watchfulness theses state of affairss require and of what the psychologists in the same article, Jennifer Crocker and Brenda major have called & # 8220 ; attritional ambiguity & # 8221 ; of being on the having terminal of negative stereotypes. To cut down this emphasis he may larn to care less about the state of affairss and activities that conveying it about-to realine his dignity so that it no longer depends on how he does in the state of affairs. We have called psychic accommodation & # 8220 ; misidentification & # 8221 ; . Pain is lessened by ceased to individuality with the portion of life in which the hurting occurs. This backdown of psychic investing may be supported by other members of the stereotype-threatened group to the point of its going a group norm. Nevertheless, non caring can intend non being motivated, and this can hold a negative affect on school life,

disidenification is a high monetary value to pay for psychic comfort. Some garbage to pay it

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and merely quit.

A 2nd ground I believe falls chiefly on the affirmatory action motion. Affirmative action today is really different from what it was supposed to be when it was instituted over 30 old ages ago. In a universe, so racially divided affirmatory action was to integrate schools by giving minorities a opportunity to go to and have a good instruction. In this sense, it sounds like a good thought. Giving minorities an chance they would non hold received under other fortunes, I am all for that. However, this is non what it is today. In the article, The Colin Powell Test. Written by Meg Greenfield, she explains what has happened to the dream. She explains, & # 8220 ; Roughly three decennaries of reading and subsequent execution, by no agencies internally changeless, has left the landscape strewn with policy and individual determinations taken in the name of & # 8220 ; affirmatory action & # 8221 ; that can be used anecdotally to turn out any point you want. & # 8221 ; Alternatively of affirmatory action being a tool used to give minorities a opportunity it is something used to make full quotas, to make full a certain sum of seats with a certain saddle horse of minorities. This is so nigh sided because in its effort to supply minorities with an instruction they have non taken into history one immense factor, QUALIFICATIONS. Leave it to our society to do a good thought a bad one. Now a immature black pupil can work his or her butt off in school and make all that they can to do certain they have a opportunity for a good instruction, merely to be denied entryway into the school of their chose because the first 15 seats had to be

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filled by minorities and by God they were. Affirmative action is about equal rights and equal chance non discriminatory intervention. Take the tribunal instance of Sarah Wessman a fifteen-year-old who had

been denied admittance to the esteemed Boston Latin school, one of Boston’s top populace schools, because she was white. In the article, Does “Diversity Justify Quotas? The Courts Say No, by Terence J. Pell, Boston Latin had used a complicated admittances program, developed in 1996 with the aid of outside advisers and civil rights attorneies. The school fills its first 45 seats without respect to race, measuring appliers based on an test mark and classs. However, its staying 45 seats are allocated harmonizing to a quota based on cultural composing of the applicant pool. The twelvemonth Sarah applied, the allotment was 13 inkinesss, 18 Whites, nine Asians and five Hispanics. Harmonizing to the article “the Boston Latin quota aimed to follow with the late Lewis Powell’s sentiment in the landmark instance of Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke. Powell had suggested that “intellectual diversity” was an acceptable rational for sing race in admittances, though “racial diversity” was non. Diversity is non a justification for the usage of racial penchants. Equally long as the school has a certain sum of inkinesss, everything should be all right. Nevertheless, is it all right? Not when you have worked so hard your whole life to carry through your dream to prosecute your ends and it is snatched off from you because of a racial quota. Preferences no affair how good intended will engender bitterness. Define affirmatory action, I mean if it means a plan that provides equal chance for all this who endeavoring to break themselves and would non hold that chance other wise so I am all for it. If

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it means discriminatory intervention to those who do non necessitate it so I am against it. Greenfield benefited from affirmatory action in the ground forces but was non shown any penchant. She goes on to province, & # 8220 ; if a history of favoritisms made it hard for certain Americans to run into criterions, it is merely just to supply impermanent agencies to assist them catch up and vie on equal footings. Affirmative action in the best sense promotes equal consideration, non change by reversal discrimination. & # 8221 ; Schools seeking to accomplish a racial mix are non making any pupil justness. That is why the tribunals reversed the determination of Boston Latin and the admittance of Sarah and she was admitted. Even Powell realized, if race is to be one component of rational diverseness, so race can be no more plus factor in measuring the part that a peculiar person will do to the diverseness of an entering category. It can non promote the opportunities of an full group without going racially know aparting itself. No more racial commixture for the interest of quotas but Lashkar-e-Taibas give minorities a good instruction based on equal chance. Affirmative action began thirty old ages ago as a demand for antecedently segregated establishments to integrate. Affirmative action does non bring forth people, given a contending opportunity people produce himself or herself. That is why I believe many minorities are non given the opportunity and so they fall by the manner side. Another ground for them to give up the battle before it has begun. Another ground for minorities to accept their so called destiny in life and non strive forward more.

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Why are people in some civilizations so much more healthy, comfortable, dynamic, and better educated than other civilizations? Why do some civilizations have to fight with the issues of negative stereotyping or integration? Why do other civilizations have what seems to be all the interruptions in life? Who started affirmatory action in the first topographic point? All of these inquiries lead back to one common denominator-the authorities. In his book, Race and Culture, Thomas Sowell demolishes the widely held position that minority civilizations benefit from authorities intercession. He explains why the authorities has used its power to loot minority civilizations. & # 8220 ; One of the cardinal self-seeking myths to emerge is that inkinesss owe their economic and societal promotion to the civil rights triumphs of the sixties. & # 8221 ; The fact of the affair is that the economic rise was greater in the mid-fortiess and 1950ss than in the ulterior decennaries. The authorities wants us to believe them when they boast of seting an terminal to integration. Sowell explains why authorities sanctioned multiculturalism is doomed. & # 8220 ; Reflecting Adam Smith & # 8217 ; s celebrated penetration about advancement being limited by the size of a market, Sowell explains that the size of the cultural existence is cardinal to cultural advancement, so this decision has inexorable deductions for organized efforts to Balkanise societies in the name of cultural identify or multiculturalism, as in late 20th century America, Britain, Canada, or Australia, for example. & # 8221 ; He besides emphasizes the important stimulation of immigrants. He notes, & # 8221 ; immigrants seldom brought much wealth to a new land. In fact, they often started in dirty, low paying occupations. Since big figure of immigrants lacked political connexions, they

DiLorenzo 10 went into commercialism instead than authorities. Commerce gives people inducements to be thrifty, dependable and peaceable qualities essential for success. & # 8221 ; This can be applied to every civilization non merely the America. When people are allowed to research their cultural values freely without authorities intercession, they do best.

Using this to the black civilization, I am non stating affirmatory action and the civil rights motion was bad. What I am stating is inkinesss have non advanced in this society by being inactive receivers of authorities largesse. Political solutions are frequently long on immediate symbolism and short on permanent consequences. I have seen the battle of the minority foremost manus in this state, and talking as an observer the hardest thing to make is to swear our authorities with assistance of any kind.

In decision, the national statement over affirmatory action needs both more fairness and less. It needs more fairness as to what in practicality we are speaking about, that is, what is really happening in our schools and workplaces and authorities. It needs less fairness, or at least fewer efforts at expressed definition, in the country of ordinance and jurisprudence. Probably the term itself is in demand of replacing, every bit good. As with so many other mottos in our public duologue, affirmatory action has reached the point where it constantly generates an strength of feeling, both for it and against, far in surplus of any normally accepted apprehension of what the phrase means. Roughly three decennaries of reading, by no agencies internally consistent, has left the landscape strewn with policy and forces determinations taken in the name of affirmatory action that can be used any manner you want to turn out a point.

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One point that is consistent throughout is undue penchant. This can ache the opportunities of any pupil or employee no affair what colour. Peoples should be judged on what they bring to the tabular array non what colour they are or aren & # 8217 ; t. I believe in working difficult to accomplish a end. In life, we are faced with many chances and we should be allowed to make out and catch clasp of whatever chance we chose. Without the intervention of any one or organisation. An illustration of this in President Clinton & # 8217 ; s exchange with Abigail Thernstrom, a critic of affirmatory action. & # 8220 ; MRS. THERNSTROM: Americans believe in affirmatory action. they don & # 8217 ; t believe in penchants. PRESIDENT CLINTON: Abigail, do you prefer the United States Army get rid ofing the affirmatory action plan that produced Colin Powell? Yes or no. Yes or no. & # 8221 ; My answer to that is, affirmatory action does non do people, people make people.

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Bibliography

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ANNOTATE BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sowell, T. ( 1994 ) . Race, Culture, and Equality. Hoover Essay.

Pell, T.J. ( 1998 ) . Does & # 8221 ; Diversity & # 8221 ; Justify Quotas? The Courts Say No. The Wall Street Journal,

p.22, Section A.

Steel, C.M. , ( 1999 ) . Thin Ice & # 8221 ; Stereotype Threat & # 8221 ; and Black College Students. The New York

Timess.

Sowell, T. ( 1994 ) . Race and Culture A World View. San Francisco: Mcgraw Hill.

Sowell, T. ( 1997 ) . YES BLACKS CAN MAKE IT ON THEIR OWN. TIME,

Volume 150, No. 10.

Greenfield, Meg. ( 1997 ) . The Colin Test His illustration shows exactly why affirmatory action is

non merely a & # 8216 ; yes or no & # 8217 ; issue. Newsweek, Page A19.