Affirmative Action

Friday, February 13, 2009

Affirmative action means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded.

Recently, we have had elected a black, African-American man (Barack Obama) as the new president of America. By looking at this historical event, we can say that the idea of affirmative action is no longer necessary. When we see Obama's childhood, he lived a life of problems. His parents (Barack Obama Sr. and Ann Dunham) separated and divorced when Obama was only two. Ann Dunham remarried Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian transfer student. Obama enrolled to Punahou Academy and was the only three black students in the school. He became conscious of racism and what it meant to be an African-American. Obama had many problems such as being multi-racial, not knowing of his identity, and family which had been divided many times. Obama admitted of using alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years. One can say Obama lived a life of stereotyped African-American. Obama ultimately ended up in Occidental College in Los Angeles. However, he worked his way up to go to Columbia University and eventually entering Harvard Law School. Obama was able to become the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review.

I do not believe that Obama really had much advantage of affirmative action. However, Obama was able to achieve the status he has today through his hard work and great values. Obama should be an example to all the minorities that everyone can have success in their lives through hard working and great ethics.

Affirmative action, I strongly believe, puts down the efforts and the accomplishments of the minority. For example, a Latino and white man may fight for a job and the Latino may win because he had more experience or education. However, the white man may use affirmative action as an excuse of not getting the job over the Latino.

Also, affirmative action brings down the idea of the free market (capitalism). By giving a job to person just because of the fact that she is a minority, capitalism is no longer into work. The idea of survival of the fittest is no longer evident in such society. Those who worked hard and prepared well enough should get the benefit over those who did not. America, being built on the theories of capitalism, should not use affirmative action.

Affirmative action, furthermore, can create more hatred between the races. It can encourage certain ethnic and sexual groups to consider themselves as disadvantaged. Finally, it can benefit the more priviledged within the minorities at the expense of the less fortunate within the majorities.

Affirmative action has a lot of loopholes. Although the theory of affirmative action tries to give equality to all the races, ultimately, it takes the equality from and discriminate against some people. Therefore, I strongly disagree with affirmative action.