Affirmative Action, go away! Options

[*Steven*]

Affirmative was created way back when to help blacks get back on their feet etc etc. Now it seems a lot of races use it as a crutch, assuming that because they're a minority that they'll get preferential treatment and that if they don't then it's racism. It was supposed to have just faded away as things became more and more equal, but lo and behold, it's still here.

Anyone think it should stay? What are your reasons?

[innovation]

do you pay for your ancestors' sins? no.
should you benefit from what your ancestors suffered? no.

originally affirmative action was put in place to help blacks get back on their feet, right? because they were mostly poor and were facing heavy racism.

These reasons are rather obsolete in the modern world. Currently, academic institutions implement affirmative action policies because racial diversity is considered a public good. In the United States, diversity is a positive value, and since many institutions now compete against one another to attract qualified applicants, promoting racial diversity is a factor that might play into students' college decisions. In order to enhance the attractiveness and quality of its institution, a university chooses to adopt this policy.

Thus, I think that affirmative action stems more from pragmatism than from moral obligations to blacks. After all, Hispanics benefit equally from affirmative action, despite the fact that they were not enslaved on a widespread basis. From my perspective, this debate is more about the rights of the private sector than anything else.

Along the same token, socioeconomic diversity has recently been viewed as another public good; outreach initiatives to lower-income classes enhance a university's public image. Thus, many universities have taken the initiative to recruit lower-income students. For instance, my university offers a full ride to any student with an annual household income below $60K. Other universities have adopted similar measures and have dedicated more time and effort to attracting socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

People always assume Asians are smarter. With Affirmative Action, a college has to have a certain amount of Asians... who in some cases end up taking white students spots, when they are the ones with the better credintials (sp?). Asians are still a minority in this country.

Affirmative action policies do not require colleges to admit "a certain amount of Asians"; that policy would constitute the institution of quotas, which is illegal.