To what extent does affirmative action no longer work and need to be removed Flashcards
LoA
Affirmative action does not work anymore
para 1 theme
counter productive
para 2 theme
unfair
para 3 theme
out of date
para 1 counter productive
- Affirmative action is counter productive. It is a form of positive discrimination and it leads to the idea that African American will only receive their places on the back of their race.
It has certainly led to a mismatch effect whereby black and Hispanic b-grade students are put into competition with white and Asian A-grade students. There is much evidence that the B-grade students will have trouble keeping up. A University of California study following the 1996 ballot initiative outlawing racial preferences found that the total number of black and Hispanic students achieving bachelor’s degrees improved significantly as a result of less ‘mismatch’.
para 1 however
- It is an effective way to create diverse student bodies at US universities. Affirmative action has helped to remedy this situation at the next stage by promoting more mixed university and work environments. Justice Kennedy came out in support of the goal of diversity in his opinion on the Fisher vs University of Texas case I n2016 arguing that it was central to identity and educational mission.
Furthermore, evidence contradicts the mismatch theory. There was a situation at the University of California where a last minute increase in the budget meant that students (of all ethnic backgrounds) with lower scores than the admissions cut-off were accepted. These students did not fare any worse than the rest of their cohort in their end of course marks
para 1 rebuttal
Whether or not ethnic minorities get equally as good grades, the fact is that affirmative action undermines their achievements and is far too outdated
para 2 unfair
- It is unfair and goes against core American values. It technically disadvantages others such as argued in University of California v Bakke (found the use of racial quotas unconstitutional).
This leads to programmes divided college campuses rather than fostering harmony and integration. When other students suspect that preferential admissions have had an unfair impact they are then accused of the very racism that was used to justify the affirmative action schemes in the first place
para 2 however
It is the best way to move beyond theoretical equality of opportunity towards equality of end result. It provided a platform for disadvantaged groups to do well in life. It has increased their presence at top university. Evidence clearly shows a fall in ethnic minority enrolment at top university institutions in states where affirmative action has been banned. For example, Hispanic and black student numbers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles, went down sharply after the implementation of an initiative to ban affirmative action in 1998
para 2 rebuttal.
However, whilst it may lead to increased presence of ethnic minorities at top universities, this comes at the cost of many high achieving students being ignored
para 3 out of date
- It was implemented in a time when African Americans had been significantly disadvantaged affirmative action was needed. It was designed to be temporary as a way of appeasing. The ultimate aim, and indeed the net result, was to absorb and neutralise black demands for equality, not to fulfil them.
- Nixon made clear delineation between ‘good blacks’ and the rest. He talked of the ‘35% of blacks we can do business with’. By this he meant those who were, or were potentially, middle class.
A study by Thomas Sowell of the Hoover institution revealed that racial preferences in university application primarily benefit minority applicants from middle and upper class backgrounds
- Nixon made clear delineation between ‘good blacks’ and the rest. He talked of the ‘35% of blacks we can do business with’. By this he meant those who were, or were potentially, middle class.
para 3 however
- It has worked and could achieve more in the future. Against the backdrop of the 1960s civil rights movement, it was clear that concrete steps were needed to help repair the effects of slavery and opposition suffered by the black community.
- LBJ - ‘you do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and say “you are now free to compete with all the others”, and still justly believe that you have been completely fair’.
We have seen a sharp increase in racial tensions in the USA and clear evidence that ethnic minorities continue to be subject to racism throughout society, notably within the criminal justice system. Critics argue that affirmative action has been part of this problem, inflaming tensions between different races
- LBJ - ‘you do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and say “you are now free to compete with all the others”, and still justly believe that you have been completely fair’.
para 3 rebuttal
It simply represents another firm of discrimination, and originated in a very different time to nowadays
