Why I Hate Affirmative Action - And Why It's Still Needed...

I hate Affirmative Action.

I hate Affirmative Action because it reminds me that in 2010, I still live in a United States of America that still does not treat all of its citizens equally. Moreso, I hate opponents of Affirmative Action. I hate opponents of Affirmative action because they remind me that in 2010, I still live in a United States of America with many people that do not want to see its citizens treated equally.

Of course, when I say "I hate", I really mean "I'm at odds with" because hatred will never help solve an issue. In addition, I'm not referring to minority opponents of Affirmative Action. They obviously DO want to see people treated equally, as they have a vested interest in that. In their case, I just assume they've been led to believe the lies or misinformation (I'm not sure which) that non-minority opponents tell about Affirmative Action.

Lie 1. Affirmative Action is a free handout to blacks.

Affirmative Action is NOT a free handout, in any way, shape or form. However, if it were, so what? The people who cause and have caused Affirmative action to be necessary benefit from all kinds of things that could easily be considered "handouts" by the same standards they impose. The "wink & nod" culture of the wealthy elite, particularly WASP's, has long existed, and everyday, white people get the social benefit of being just that - white.

Whites get better loan rates, more loan approvals, more well-paying jobs, more leisure time, and more corporate welfare than their black counterparts with equal education and skills. Whites can travel freely anywhere in the country (nay, the world) and have the added benefit of the authorities being in their corner almost ANYwhere they go - even in majority non-white neighborhoods (in the US) and nations (world).

Affirmative Action is no more a handout than Social Security which many whites thoroughly enjoy the benefit of, with no complaint. Yes, they paid into Social Security, but minorities have paid into the success of this country with very little return on their investment. Whites have not seen such a lack of return on their end of this investment. Furthermore, Affirmative Action is for the equality of ALL minority groups, not just blacks. Many non-black people (many of whom are "ethnic" Europeans by descent) enjoy the benefits of Affirmative Action.


Lie 2. Affirmative Action takes a job or an education from a smarter or more skilled white person and gives it to a less smart or less skilled minority.

This is in no way the intention of Affirmative Action, and I dare say it has not been the implementation either. Affirmative Action is designed to reward equal or superior ability - not inferior. The goal of Affirmative Action is simple and basic: When a white person is up against a minority who has the same (or better) education, skills, and traits, the hiring person, or admissions officer, or loan officer, etc., is not to deny the minority the disputed item on simply race.

If the two people both graduated Ivy League, but one did graduate study and has eighteen years of experience while the other did not do graduate study but has twenty-one years of experience, and they both have matching and offsetting awards, honors, and recognitions, then Affirmative Action says the minority is not to be eliminated simply because of race.

No sane or reasonable person would ever support a less qualified person for something a more qualified person should have - ever.


Lie 3. Affirmative Action gives more credit to those with less, simply because it is harder for them.

Untrue. Affirmative Action seeks to eliminate social, economic and political reasons for life being harder for some. It is true that an A+ from a bad school should not equal an A+ from a good school. Affirmative Action doesn't inflate the bad school's worth, it seeks to turn the bad school into a good one so that all A's will be created equal.

Those who still have a naturally harder time (all other things being equal) do not get their success inflated.


Lie 4. Affirmative Action would only truly equalize things if based on income and not race. There are more poor whites than blacks. They should have an equal chance at success.

This doesn't address multiple things. Firstly, poor whites do have an equal chance of success, since the very nature of being white (even if poor) puts them at an immediate advantage. Secondly, there are more poor whites than blacks - by number - not by percentage of population. The percentage of blacks living at or below the poverty line relative to their community as a whole is significantly (yes, significantly) higher than the percentage of whites relative to their community as a whole. White poverty is between ten and twenty percent of their community, compared to forty to sixty percent for blacks. As well, even when employed in the same position, with the same skills, education and background, blacks (and other minorities) are routinely paid less than their white counterparts. Affirmative Action not only seeks to address the employment aspect, but also this pay ratio discrepancy.

Finally, addressing inequity by income leaves out middle-class and wealthy minorities who still face discrimination that Affirmative Action laws would cover. These minorities would be left out, since they reside at a higher income level. Simply, if you're an upper middle-class minority and you seek to start your own business, income-based Affirmative Action would leave it legal for banks to deny you a loan, or raise your interest rates based on your skin color or ethnic background.

All of these lies and half-truths are meant to persuade us to consider Affirmative Action as a form of discrimination, but in fact, Affirmative Action eliminates many forms of discrimination, for all minorities, including women.

Affirmative Action causes no discrimination. The goals and implementations are simple: if you have more than one position available, you must give opportunities to as many qualified minorities as qualified whites. If you have only one position, you may give it to the white person, but he'd better actually be more qualified than the minority you passed on. If you ask the average citizen of the United States whether everyone should have a fair chance at life, he'd likely say yes. All of a sudden, when you try to actually enact this idea, it becomes argued that it is "against democracy". So, our Founding Fathers were against democracy? Remember this (from the United States' Declaration of Independence)?

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

"Unalienable rights". That means that ALL men are ENTITLED to these basic things. Will people always have a fair chance? Probably not. That's life. But as higher beings, it is our duty to use our elevated minds to equalize as much as we can. We no longer eliminate children born with disabilities because we have evolved philosophically and morally and can now help them lead normal lives and they too can have something to contribute. And just because life is naturally unfair does not mean we have to let it remain so.

Affirmative Action. Simple and fair. The American way.