Affirmative Action

How many times have you heard, “ He/She only got into __enter prestigious college__ because they’re black/ Latino/ Native American?” And how many times have adults told you that race has nothing to with admissions? That it’s based solely on hard work and a passion for knowledge?

Affirmative action.

Designed to help specific groups enter secondary education and the workforce, minority groups such as Latinos, Native Americans, African Americans, and women are receiving more opportunities to promote diversity on campuses and in the workforce.

Affirmative action.

Does it help me? Absolutely. Do I believe in it? Absolutely not.

There is no doubt that this notion of “equality for all” benefits me, an Asian female (refer to the photo above) pursuing a degree in engineering.  Sure, I agree that more women should be encouraged to enter the STEM fields and be able to pursue their passion without discrimination, but not at the expense of discrimination against men and of true equality. Why should I be given priority over a male with identical qualifications? Or even a male with surpassing qualifications?

Likewise, on the sole basis of nationality, no one should be given a biased preference.

Why should an African American man be given priority over their identical Caucasian counterpart? The injustice isn’t nearly as reproachable as when a minority is given priority even though less qualified.

The American dream embraces hard work and dedication, not laziness. Affirmative action incites laziness as the minority believes they will be given the position automatically and their competition acknowledges the fact that even with hard work and perseverance, the chances of them obtaining their desired positions is less than likely.

With the goal of destroying stereotypes and erasing racial borders, reverse discrimination, affirmative action only promotes unintentional segregation and increased tension between races.

Minorities should not expect to be given unfair advantages, and the majority should not be discouraged. This socially acceptable form of reverse discrimination neither fixes the lack of diversity in schools and universities, justifies the passing over of candidates who are not a part of a minority but possess superior talent and knowledge.