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Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action has increasingly become the subject of debate and tension in American society. However, the debate has become entangled in silly arguments of equality of opportunity versus the equality of results. “The purpose of Affirmative Action is not simply to avow good intentions but to register results (Cousens 126).” On one side, however, there are the con-Affirmative Action types who raise ethical and moral issues over the use of such a system; while on the other side there are those who support the system, but use race as a privilege. The participants in this debate have over examined the ethical and moral issues that affirmative action raises while forgetting to scrutinize the system that has created the need for them. All too often, Affirmative Action is looked upon as the cure for the virulent disease of racial discrimination. The program works as it should by allowing for groups of a greater equality of opportunity to further advance themselves by bypassing inequalities that impede their overall effectiveness. Affirmative Action is a temporary, partial, and flawed remedy for past and continuing discrimination against historically marginalized and disenfranchised groups in American society (Hacker 85).


The commission failed to realize that there are thousands of white males who are not the purveyors of discrimination, but are punished because of those who do discriminate. For example, the Northern Natural Gas Company of Omaha, Nebraska, was forced by the government to release sixty-five white male workers to make room for minority employees in 1977 (Nebraska Advisory Committee 40). Five major Omaha corporations reported that the number of white managers fell twenty-five percent in 1969 due to restrictions put on them when Affirmative Action was adopted (27). This is contrary to the goals of an average business. An average business executive has one goal: maximize profits. In order to reach this goal, a business executive would naturally hire the most competent man or woman for the job, whether they were black or white or any other race. Why would a business man intentionally cause his business to lose money by hiring a poorly qualified worker? Affirmative Action forces an employer who needs to meet a quota, established by the government, to hire the minority, without any regard to who is more qualified. In order to explain why Affirmative Action policies fail, one must examine what other sister programs should have done to further minority advancement. Should Affirmative Action programs force people to hire unqualified minorities? The credentials, character, and qualifications of a minority has always been a question. Does a business hire an unqualified individual for a position? Definitely not, but Affirmative Action programs should cause the American society to re-evaluate how it accesses qualifications and how it measures merit. In 1971, “the Supreme Court confronted the impact of testing in Griggs verus Duke Power Company (Hacker 129).” The company had kept black employees in lower level jobs, arguing that their “test scores showed they were not qualified for better positions (130).” The court rejected this explanation, “ruling that employers who hired and promoted on the basis of tests had to show that those exams in face provided good forecasts of how an individual is to perform (130).” However, test results do still display some bias, a business is still entitled to hire people who will best benefit its balance sheet (129). For instance, “sales and clerical jobs are the two key occupations in stores, accounting for the largest number of proportion of employees (Cousens 83).” “Women clearly dominate the clerical industry everywhere (83).” “These jobs are also the most visible in that individuals are in closest contact with customers; a fact which has traditionally deterred employers from hiring nonwhites for these categories (84).” Of course, personality plays a major role and more formal criteria hold sway. Increasingly, “credentials like degrees and diplomas are expected to have someone’s name considered (Hacker 129).” Employers should choose the better alternative of inaugurating programs to qualify more minori

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Approximate Word count = 2004
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)


  

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