Affirmative Action: Pros and Cons

Affirmative action was introduced in 1965 as a method of addressing the discrimination of minorities that continued to happen in the United States. This discrimination continued to take place regardless of the civil laws and constitutional promises to prevent it. Affirmative action was established to ensure that minorities have the same opportunities and options in college admission, financial aid, grants, and scholarships when it came to furthering their education. It was also initiated in the work place to promote fairness for minorities in job placement, salary increase, and advancement of their careers (Brunner, 2001). The issue of affirmative action continues to be a hotly debated issue in the college selection process and higher education. While there are a great number of arguments for both sides of this issue, for this paper I have selected a few of the most prominent ones.

The main issue that affirmative action was to address is the issue of discrimination among minorities. Advocates of affirmative action believe the only way to offset the disadvantages that minorities have faced both historically and otherwise, is to even out the playing field so to speak. They believe that the discrimination these minorities have faced have placed a psychological toll on them and their descendants. As Joe Messerli states, "Minorities gave decades of unpaid labor, had land taken from them, were subject to brutal punishments, and were denied most of the fundamental rights provided by our Constitution." Some bring to question because of this discrimination, whether or not minorities really have a fair shot at equality when it comes to higher education and employment. They believe that affirmative action is needed to counteract these negative effects (Timmons, 2009).

However, individuals against affirmative action which is the viewpoint I tend to side with, believe that affirmative action actually leads to reverse discrimination. While affirmative action is designed to end or at least minimize unfair treatment and discrimination of students and workers based on their gender or color, it actually does the opposite. Other individuals who are more qualified or have a better work ethic tend to be passed over or pushed to the side simply because they are not a minority. Minorities tend to receive the stereotype that they are poor and are all from lower class homes. This is not always the case. Many white students also live in poverty but tend to be disregarded simply based on the fact that they are not from a minority race. As a result of the way things work right now with affirmative action, a hard working, lower class white individual may be overshadowed in the college admission process to an average, higher class, minority student (Messerli, 2009).

In addition to this idea, individuals for the concept of affirmative action believe that disadvantaged students, such as the minorities, need an extra boost. They believe that these individuals already start out at a disadvantage when applying to jobs or schools because of their race or gender. They argue that students from minority backgrounds do not always get the same opportunities as others do. Individuals who are pro affirmative action state that minorities may come from neighborhoods that are high in crime, violence, and drugs. They could potentially come from areas where they do not have the money or resources to have the same opportunities and experiences as those who are more privileged. As a result, they believe that minorities will not necessarily have the same quality of an application as someone who is not considered to be a minority and that is why affirmative action is necessary (Messerli, 2009).

On the other hand I, as well as others, believe that students admitted to colleges and institutions because they are a minority are often not ready or equipped enough to succeed in the environment in which they have been accepted. While some minority students are just as, if not more qualified than the majority of students, it is quite possible that a minority student will be accepted into a school in which they will not be able to succeed to the best of their capabilities. Colleges establish specific standards and qualifications that are required to get accepted into the school, because they are needed in order to be successful at the said institution. When schools have