Affirmative Action and Civil Rights Policies

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 at 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.e., 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, however, 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