Positive Discrimination

Compensates Minorities

For centuries, blacks and minority groups were enslaved and oppressed. The upper-class groups enjoyed all the benefits and took a large share of the cake. These minorities worked for centuries without labor wages, were subjected to brutal punishments, their lands were snatched from them, and most of them were denied most of the fundamental rights provided by the Constitution. Affirmative action emphasizes on providing compensation to the descendants for the wrongs and ill treatments done to their ancestors.

Serves As A Booster

Minority students, on a general note, start off at a disadvantageous level in college or job application process. They belong to lower income families and hence, have fewer opportunities to study in good private schools as opposed to other high-class students. Though they are equally capable of working hard and proving themselves, they are left behind due to their caste and class. Affirmative action balances these differences out.

Exposure To Varied Fields

Through affirmative action, men and women are exposed to areas of study or fields of work that they may not have otherwise considered trying their hands on. With the designing of affirmative action, men are brought into nursing, while women are familiarized to technology fields. The more the stereotypes are changed today, the less affirmative action we will require in the future.

Positive discrimination towards women in society is justified. Yes because: Women require positive discirmination because in the past they were considered slaves in a patriarchal society. Presently, they are still dominated by men in a lot of social enviroments: family, work, on the street, and many others enviroments. For this reason women should have more benefits in society as an attempt to even out their disadvantaged status. “If anyone is disadvantaged it is men”. This quote sums up the idiocy of the oppositions argument. How many female presidents have there been? How female CEO’s are there of the worlds top companies?

Workplace: A benefit of positive discrimination is that it ensures people won’t be out of work because of their gender, race or other conditions or disabilities. It helps to level the professional playing field for different people.

Disadvantages Of Affirmative Action

Reverses Discrimination

This is probably the most significant advantage of introducing affirmative action. It tends to put an end to discrimination and unfair treatment to students/employees on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, or national origin, while in reality, the opposite takes place. Whites work harder and are more qualified than blacks. As a result, they are strictly passed over the blacks in all fields of education and employment. With the introduction of affirmative action, a poor white is overlooked by a rich minority student, simply because of these measures.

Lower Standards Of Accountability

If a minority student is able to get himself admitted to Harvard University with a 3.2 grade average, why should he put in extra efforts to get a 4.0? Such is the attitude of minority students who enjoy these benefits. There are students and employee who can push up to achieve excellent grades, but by setting low standards for admission or hiring, the accountability levels get lowered. Hard work, discipline, and achievement should be rewarded equally and not partially to people who simply belong to certain race or group.

True Minority Achievement Is Demeaned

If you hear an underprivileged person describing his achievements as a result of hard work and talent, not all will be wrong to assume that his success is due to affirmative action. Considering major professional fields, such as doctors, lawyers, business leaders, and so on, most minority people are demeaned and humiliated assuming that they achieved success on their preferential treatment. Thus, minorities are forced to work twice as hard to earn true respect and recognition.

Positive discrimination towards women in society is justified. Not because: Discrimination is never ‘positive’. In a civilized society, it is not exceptable to treat people differently, on the basis of gender. Furthermore, the claim of women having a “disadvantaged status” is preposterous. A quick examination of our laws and societal practices shows that women have an incredibly advantaged status.

They are not required to register for the draft, like men are. They have a government council devoted solely to them, whereas men do not. They have female-only scholarships and grants, whereas men do not. They have shelters to escape domestic violence, whereas men do not. They are protected from circumcision by law, whereas men are not. Their names are hidden when they accuse others of several kinds of crimes, whereas men are not. If anyone is disadvantaged, it’s men.

Men are 80% of suicides, 40% of colleges students, 40% of degree earners, 80% of the homeless, 80% of the layed off, and 92.7% of the job deaths. Men are more likely to die from every major cause of death, and yet there exists no amount of medical funding and research for them, on par with that of women. And this is to say nothing, of the blatant discriminations, under the law, that men suffer, as mentioned above.

Workplace: Positive discrimination is still discrimination, which continues to put emphasis on a person’s gender, race or origin of birth. It can also be negative for someone pursuing the same job as a minority applicant. A person might be more qualified and still not get the job if the company is practicing positive discrimination.