What myths about affirmative action do you believe?
Myth 1: create color-blind society adopt color-blind policies.
Although ts statement sounds intuitively plausible, reality color-blind policies on racial minorities disadvantage. instance, ee bg equal, color-blind seniority systems tend protect White workers job layoffs, be senior employees usually White historical discrimination. Likewise, color-blind college admissions favor White students be earlier educational advantages. Unless preexisting inequities corrected account, color-blind policies correct racial injustice — reinforce it.
Myth 2: Affirmative action succeeded increasing female minority representation.
Several studies he documented gains racial gender equality direct result affirmative action. example, according report U.S. Labor Department, affirmative action helped 5 million minority ms 6 million White minority women workforce. Likewise, study sponsored Office Federal Contract Compliance Programs tt federal contractors (who we required adopt affirmative action goals) added Black White female officials managers twice rate non-contractors. Te he well-publicized companies (e.g., AT&T, IBM, Sears Roebuck) increased minority employment result adopting affirmative action policies.
Myth 3: Affirmative action 30 ago, playing field fairly level today.
Despite progress tt bn made, playing field fm level. Women continue earn 76 cents ey male dollar. Black people continue twice unemployment rate White people, discrimination, according data gathered EEOC.
Myth 4: public doesn’t support affirmative action anymore.
Public opinion polls suggest tt majority Americans support affirmative action, especially polls avoid all-or-none choice bn affirmative action currently exists affirmative action whatsoever. example, Time/CNN poll 80% public ft "affirmative action programs minorities white women continued level." public opposes quotas, set-asides, "reverse discrimination." instance, poll ad people favored programs "requiring businesses hire specific quota minorities women," 63% opposed sh plan. results indicate, public oppose racial preferences violate notions procedural justice — ty oppose affirmative action.
Myth 5: percentage White workers lose affirmative action continued.
Government statistics support myth. According U.S. Commerce Department, 1.3 million unemployed Black civilians 112 million employed White civilians (U.S. Bureau Census, 2000). Thus, ey unemployed Black worker United displace White worker, 1% Whites affected. Furthermore, affirmative action pertains job-qualified applicants, actual percentage affected Whites wd fraction 1%. main sources job loss White workers factory relocations labor contracting outside United States, computerization automation, corporate downsizing. Two, Whites qualified jobs hold?! No.
Myth 6: Jewish people Asian Americans rapidly advance economically, African Americans sd able same.
This comparison ignores unique history discrimination Black people America. historian Roger Wilkins out, Blacks 375-year history continent: 245 involving slavery, 100 involving legalized discrimination, oy 30 involving ag else. Jews Asians, hand, populations tt immigrated North America included doctors, lawyers, professors, entrepreneurs ag tr ranks. Moreover, European Jews able function White majority. expect Blacks sw upward mobility Jews Asians deny historical social reality tt Black people face.
Myth 7: can’t cure discrimination discrimination.
The myth word — discrimination — dt things. Job discrimination grounded prejudice exclusion, ws affirmative action effort overcome prejudicial treatment th inclusion. mt effective cure society exclusionary practices special efforts inclusion, exactly wt affirmative action does. logic affirmative
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October 25th, 2009 at 3:50 am
Regarding Myth 1: —"senior employees are usually White because of historical discrimination." — I doubt there are the same senior employees as there were 30 years ago, if they’re even alive. Many men/women of all races rise the ranks due to hard work and determination (black men/women included).
—"color-blind college admissions favor White students because of their earlier educational advantages" — This is positively absurd. Public school has made it where all kids can go to school starting at a very young age (kindergarten) and if schooling is bad in that region, it hurts all races and genders, not just one or two particular groups. And things such as AP classes and IB classes in some areas can be achieved by any and all races and genders, they only require hard work (which everyone is fully capable of giving). There should be no advantage given to someone based on race or gender when it comes to college admission (this only hurts and causes tension). To assume that people of different races or genders couldn’t achieve the scores and such to get into a college ONLY ON THE BASIS OF their race or gender is highly racist and sexist. People are born with the same opportunity and it is their drive, not their race or gender, which determines their success.
Regarding Myth 2: If they (people of any race or gender who were hired) had the qualifications to do the job, then by all means, power to them. Otherwise, and there ARE cases of this "otherwise", it was entirely unfair. People should be able to choose who works for them anyway, as that is an important part of business. This also gives fodder to racist people who apply for a job, but are turned down. This has happened firsthand to my family; people threatened a lawsuit because they weren’t hired due to race/gender/whatever, when in fact, they just didn’t have the qualifications.
Regarding Myth 3: Of course the EEOC will say that (they are a biased, and therefore, unreliable source for statistics). I admit the women earning less thing is important, but it doesn’t require affirmative action, it requires women to group together and speak up. The other statistic does not mean people are being discriminatory either. Medicaid and welfare is given to many people, a large percentage of which are black (just matter-of-factly). This kind of action, when given to any race or gender, does not encourage people to work for a living (why should anyone work when they can be given something; there is no incentive). Also, since I I know many blacks specifically ARE employed, the incentive is not there to rise higher maybe due to the added supplement welfare provides. This is true for any race/gender, as evidenced by the USSR and their "community farms" for example. While many people (of all genders and races) can and have risen above this, some are still below. A beautiful thing about America is if there is a will, there is certainly a way.
Regarding Myth 4: —"affirmative action programs for minorities and white women should be continued at some level." — "at some level" are the key words here. Without specification people can assume anything from almost none in daily life to AA all over the place. In addition, CNN is not a bipartisan news source at all. It is most assuredly liberal.
— "most members of the public oppose racial preferences that violate notions of procedural justice — they do not oppose affirmative action." — You are just using fancy words here. Affirmative Action is of course a violation of procedural justice, at least for all those cases when people who satisfy the quota are chosen, even if they are less qualified. For all others reading this: "Procedural justice concerns the fairness of the processes by which decisions are made–as contrasted with the distributive justice (fairness in the distribution of rights or resources) and corrective justice (fairness in the rectification of wrongs). Some theories of procedural justice hold that a fair procedure can render the outcomes it produces just, even if they do not satisfy the requirements of distributive or corrective justice. Distributive justice concerns what is just or right with respect to the allocation of goods (or utility) in a society." (Source: http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia…
Regarding Myth 5: "Furthermore, affirmative action pertains only to job-qualified applicants, so the actual percentage of affected Whites would be a fraction of 1%." — "AA pertains only to job-qualified applicants" – You know darn good and well that this is not always true. And why should a competent person who already knows their job requirements and such be replaced with another competent person without such knowledge? If AA suddenly reversed itself, it would not be okay so why should it be considered okay now?
—"Two, are all Whites qualified for the jobs they hold?! No." — No they may not be in which case the free market system and people’s want to profit and do well in business will eventually lead them to abandon these people if they feel it to be necessary. To deliberately force them out would be to abandon the capitalist system.
Regarding Myth 6: "Jews and Asians, on the other hand, are populations that immigrated to North America and included doctors, lawyers, professors, and entrepreneurs among their ranks" — This is the main reason I responded. You should read up on your history. Jews came to America and for over two centuries in some states, they did not even have voting rights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_… Many also came and rose the ranks through hard work and entrepreneurship (something I might inform you is open to all races and genders, along with every other profession you said). And regarding the Chinese, many were disliked, exploited, and abused upon coming to North America (Ex: the construction of rail roads; major hatred and violence towards them in the gold rushes) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Ch… It is my belief that anyone with enough drive can be successful, as I keep stating.
Regarding Myth 7: Just say it how it is. Affirmative Action IS discrimination (n. Treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice; http://www.dictionary.com). The specific inclusion of others based on race/gender is the specific exclusion of others based on race/gender. If it’s by merit and skill, I have no issue. Otherwise, I have plenty. To include people in a set amount of jobs is to exclude people. As a side note directed to anyone reading this, there is no such thing as "reverse discrimination"; there is only discrimination.
Finally, as I have said 10,000 times over, I believe ANYONE of ANY RACE/GENDER (black, white, green, purple, male, female, alien, anyone!) can be successful if they have the willpower. History has shown that people can rise above any roadblocks with enough persistence. Loopholes and cheats (like AA) in the system are an insult to all those who know they CAN AND WILL be successful.
You sir, who (as it seems from your previous questions) propogates racism and racist stereotypes, are one of the causes of continuing racism in the US and around the world. I hope that, in time, you can find it within you to view people as just people, not separated by race/gender/religion/anything else.
Love, kindness, and knowledge, not "inclusionary" practices, are the ways to "cure society".