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Supporter of affirmative action argue that it is intended not only to compensate for past discrimination, but also to level an uneven playing field in which discrimination still exists. What do you think? To what extent do we have a society free from discrimination? What is the impact of affirmative action on society today? What alternatives to affirmative action policies exist?
As the movement for equality grew stronger and with more conviction, civil rights activists evolved their relatively limited goal of equal opportunity to a broader goal of affirmative action”which, essentially, were backhand attacks t minorities and their capabilities guised as compensatory governmental policies intending to “overcome the consequences of past discriminations. ” Affirmative action policies provide greater opportunities to people”usually those who have been previously disadvantaged due to discrimination”based on their race or some other socioeconomic status.
While this may seem like a movement towards a broader scope of civil rights, it ultimately grants people opportunities because of their race and not because of their competency or adeptness. It is no wonder that some may take this (I. . , affirmative action) as an insult more so than an invitation to equality, as one’s race is still the moving power behind these decisions. It is also seen as a “[violation] of norms of fairness and equality of opportunity,” as it grants special advantages to some and not others.
A world without discrimination, though appealing, is both impossible and nonexistent. While times have become especially revolutionized in recent history (e. G. , marriage equality for same-sex couples), there still exists discrimination in scattered parts of society and politics. This is not to say, forever, that issues such as racism and sexism are as severe as they were just less than a century ago. Even still, more than three-quarters of Americans today believe that racism against blacks is still a “widespread problem. Conflicts regarding affirmative action will continue to persist “because Americans hold fundamentally different views about whether and how the government should recognize racial distinctions. ” So what are the alternatives? What other inclusive methods and/or policies are there that are not so conscious about race as affirmative action is? Regarding university admissions, specifically, one can argue that instead of creating (and fulfilling) a race/minority quota, universities can accept students based on other criteria such as their family income level or the student’s academic standing.
To address broader and more pressing issues, it is not as easy a task to evaluate the advantages or consequences of expelling affirmative action from decision-making processes. Describe the changes in American society between Please v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education decisions. Using this as an example, explain how hanged in civil rights policy or other types of government policy. How might changes in society have predicted the change sin civil rights policy in America since the Brown case?
How might the changes in civil rights policy have changed American society? The history of the United States, in the context of civil rights, has changed significantly due to both the Please v. Ferguson and Brown vs… Board of Education, among countless others. The former Supreme Court case established a “separate but equal” doctrine, permitting the segregation of public accommodations, essentially making it so that segregation was not only legal but also required in order to maintain (societal) order.
Brown vs… Board of Education, on the other hand, would become one of the most pivotal decisions that the Supreme Court would make in response to civil rights, as it ultimately devalued and abolished this doctrine, asserting that it was fundamentally unequal and unconstitutional. This decision also prohibited state governments from practicing racial discrimination and granted the national government the power to enforce policies against coordinators actions.
It is during the time in between both these cases, too, where shifts in (the scope of) civil rights are evident. In instances such as the creation off “Jim Crow” system, women’s lack of suffrage, and discrimination against black military personnel led to movements toward a more powerful scope of civil rights, resulting in a stronger union under the NAACP, growing suffrage organizations such as the NASA, and the submission of To Secure These Rights (which was a report that forwardly addressed the problem of racial coordination), respectively.
However, though many triumphs were made toward a stronger movement for civil rights, society even after Brown vs… Board Of Education still refused to accept new policies prohibiting racial discrimination. Schools, employment opportunities, jury duties, voting privileges, and other areas of social and economic involvement were still segregated. Still, the goal of equal protection was always kept alive; this, in turn, encouraged and required positive, “affirmative” action and resulted in a more forceful movement for civil rights.