Introduction and Thesis Statement
Affirmative action is a strategy in America that seeks to address precedent discrimination via dynamic measures to make certain that opportunities in employment and education are equal. Some of the steps of affirmative action in America have been met with remarkable controversies. Of late, the advantages of a race-based admittance plan in higher learning institutions, in America, is under scrutiny (Tomasson 235). This paper will discuss whether affirmative action has mended the racial discrimination that has cursed America for years, or it has created the same environment that it tries to eradicate.
Discussion
Opposition Point 1
While the role of affirmative action is too overt racial discrimination in America, it at the same time creates the same atmosphere that it tries to eradicate. Affirmative action is presently a technique that business organizations and academic institutions in America employ to admit minorities. In America, affirmative action has enhanced the learning and employment opportunities of minorities, especially blacks. This is through outstanding treatment in job recruitment, college admittance, donation of regime contracts, and the distribution of other social remunerations. The Native Americans have a feeling that this affirmative action is only a system of predilection in reverse. They further assert that affirmative action does nothing to solve the troubles facing them (Skrentny 305) (a).
Rebuttal of Opposition Point 1
Affirmative action boosts disadvantaged children in society. These normally come from poor families and have low chances of admission to private schools. These marginal students are capable of performing the same as the Americans, but due to financial constraints, then their qualifications become different. Affirmative action in this case balances the playing field (Tomasson 235).
Opposition Point 2
Affirmative action has led to reverse discrimination, particularly among male Caucasians. It assists and harms Americans simultaneously. Leaders of civil rights institutions still trust that even in the presence of affirmative action, racial discrimination is still well established in America. While America has progressed in the termination of racial discrimination, the natives are still not obtaining the amount of finance they ought to (Sather 143).
Rebuttal of Opposition Point 2
Affirmative action brings the minorities to study and work in areas that they may have never thought of. It makes black Americans be considered capable just like the white Americans (Herring 16).
Transition
If affirmative action was to solve the problem of racial discrimination, then it should have devoted itself to the education system in areas with low incomes so that they can get the chance for employment and education. The black Americans in the US are still inexperienced in certain fundamental things and appear to have difficulties in speaking classic English. They, however, are given opportunities when it comes to education and employment. In reality, affirmative action is the leading cause of racial discrimination. Opportunities that have been created for black Americans are taken away from white Americans. The dedication the Americans have put in all their undertakings has been voided to generate opportunities for persons with distinct skin color. Higher learning institutions are now using race as the crucial factor in admission (Fischer 42).
Additional Point
Affirmative action has deprived some Americans of the key to open the door to a brilliant future. This has led to a lot of controversy about affirmative action. This is evident in a case by the name University of California v. Bakke. Minorities are admitted to schools even if they have lower grades compared to the natives. These minorities do not also do well in their interviews but are given chances at the expense of the white Americans. They, therefore, are mainly accepted because they are blacks and the institutions need to create more student diversity. Through this, affirmative action has created reverse discrimination by reserving posts only for black Americans. Affirmative action, therefore, creates the same environment that it tries to eradicate by letting race be used as a feature in admission practices in learning institutions (Skrentny 305) (b).
Conclusion
Affirmative action in America has closed the openings of a better future for the natives. It is, therefore, ironic to say that affirmative action was developed to solve racial discrimination since it has in turn created reverse discrimination. It, therefore, is not the ideal tool to solve the problem of racial discrimination. It is not the right response for the creation of a better America (Bean 188).
References
Bean, Jonathan. Big government and affirmative action: the scandalous history of the Small Business Administration. Lexington: Univ. Press of Kentucky, 2001. Print
Fischer, Katharina. Advantages and Controversy of US “Affirmative Action” Concerning African – Americans. München: GRIN Verlag, 2010. Print
Herring, Cedric. Affirmative action in America: a provisional assessment of who benefits and who sacrifices. Urbana: University of Illinois, 1992. Print
Sather, Trevor. Pros and Cons: a Debater’s Handbook. Routledge: Routledge publishers, 1999. Print
Skrentny, David. (a). Color lines: affirmative action, immigration, and civil rights options for America. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2001. Print
Skrentny, David. (b).The ironies of affirmative action: politics, culture, and justice in America. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1997. Print
Tomasson, Richard. Affirmative action: the pros and cons of policy and practice. United States: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001. Print