Affirmative Action Is Unfair
Affirmative action is a controversial topic that could be discussed for hours, either for or against it. Some people believe that it is an essential to assure that people of all backgrounds can have the same opportunities as others. Other people believe that affirmative action is a crutch that allows people unprepared for positions to be placed in these positions. No matter how a person may feel about it, affirmative action is defined as “the practice of improving the educational and job opportunities of members of groups that have not been treated fairly in the past because of their race, sex, etc” ("Affirmative Action," n.d.). Is it fair to give someone a position based entirely on their race or ethnicity? What if the person in question is
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I feel that this is unfair because the most qualified people should receive the job or position that they applied for. One student in the video made a statement that stayed with me. He quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on saying “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”. This holds true on the case of affirmative action. To me this means that people should be judged and placed accordingly in proportion to what they have done for themselves in order to make them self a better person. The person who has worked for the best grades should be the first pick for the school. The person who has the best resume and who conducted the best interview should be the first pick for the job; regardless to race or ethnicity. The person who has not taken the initiative to better themselves should not be rewarded with a position because they fit the ethnic background that needs to be filled at the time. Through my eyes it is equally as racist to give someone a position because of their race as it is to decline a person a position because of their race. Jim Webb, a political figure has the same feelings towards affirmative action. He once voiced these opinions by saying, “state-sponsored racism that is as odious as the Jim Crow laws it sought to countermand” ("Webb Makes the Case Modern Affirmative Action Hurts Whites | MRCTV," 2015).
In the video, Sandel makes a connection to Aristotle, he says that “The simplest way of understanding justice is giving people what they deserve. This idea goes back to Aristotle. The real difficulty begins with figuring out who deserves what and why.” In my opinion the most qualified people deserve the best positions because they have worked for
I feel that this is unfair because the most qualified people should receive the job or position that they applied for. One student in the video made a statement that stayed with me. He quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on saying “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”. This holds true on the case of affirmative action. To me this means that people should be judged and placed accordingly in proportion to what they have done for themselves in order to make them self a better person. The person who has worked for the best grades should be the first pick for the school. The person who has the best resume and who conducted the best interview should be the first pick for the job; regardless to race or ethnicity. The person who has not taken the initiative to better themselves should not be rewarded with a position because they fit the ethnic background that needs to be filled at the time. Through my eyes it is equally as racist to give someone a position because of their race as it is to decline a person a position because of their race. Jim Webb, a political figure has the same feelings towards affirmative action. He once voiced these opinions by saying, “state-sponsored racism that is as odious as the Jim Crow laws it sought to countermand” ("Webb Makes the Case Modern Affirmative Action Hurts Whites | MRCTV," 2015).
In the video, Sandel makes a connection to Aristotle, he says that “The simplest way of understanding justice is giving people what they deserve. This idea goes back to Aristotle. The real difficulty begins with figuring out who deserves what and why.” In my opinion the most qualified people deserve the best positions because they have worked for