Euthanasia: The Right To Life

3 Pages 781 Words

Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action is one of the most controversial policies in America. The line between those who support affirmative action and those who oppose it is as clear as day. “Statistics show that the majority of those who support affirmative action are the very people that it benefits, while the people who oppose it feel that they are negatively affected by it” (George E. Curry & Cornel West, 20). Unfortunately, many of the people opposed to affirmative action do not fully understand the rules and stipulations of the policy. “And while many minorities and women support affirmative action, a growing number say its benefits are no longer worth its side effect: the perception that their success is unearned” (Muharrar). This is why affirmative action is necessary.
As stated, many people who oppose affirmative action are not fully aware of its stipulations and are ignorant for believing in many myths about affirmative action that have some how been passed as facts. For instance, the most common myth is that “a large percentage of White workers will lose out if affirmative action is continued” (Plous 21). This is not true because, “According to the Commerce Department, there are fewer than 2 million unemployed Black civilians and more than 100 million employed White civilians. Thus, even if every unemployed Black worker were to displace a White worker, less than 2 percent of Whites would be affected. Furthermore, affirmative action pertains only to job-qualified applicants, so the actual percentage of affected Whites would be a fraction of 1 percent” (Plous 23).
While not a myth, one of the most common arguments made by those opposed to affirmative action is that discriminating against the majority cannot cure discrimination. The problem with this myth is that it uses the same word -- discrimination -- to describe two very different areas. Job discrimination is grounded in prejudice and exclusio...