Essay about Affirmative Action is Not Reverse Discrimination

Affirmative Action is Not Reverse Discrimination Affirmative Action is not meant to help blacks because of the color of their skin, but because they deserve compensation for past and continuing injustices. Opponents may criticize the wisdom of how this compensation is meted out, but they cannot question the principle of compensatory damages, which enjoys a long tradition in our society. To many opponents of affirmative action, a color-blind society should not discriminate at hiring time on the basis of color, sex, etc. This would make the preferential hiring of blacks just as wrong as preferential hiring of whites. Furthermore, opponents claim, the introduction of past injustices does not change this logic. If blacks were†¦show more content†¦The situation is akin to the Jews who survived the Holocaust. Germany paid a large sum in compensatory damages to the state of Israel after World War II, and no one decried this as reverse racial discrimination. Now, opponents of affirmative action may question whether affirmative action is the right way to go about correcting past and present injustice. For example, can we compensate the living for sins committed against their ancestors? Is it right to compensate groups instead of specifically harmed individuals? But these are separate issues, ones that should be addressed elsewhere. (The reader may find them in the next essay.) The point here is that affirmative action is intended not as reverse discrimination, but as compensatory damages for injustice. Moral absolutism Those who use the term reverse descrimination are actually engaging in moral absolutism, a completely unworkable concept that has never been practiced by any society in history. An example may best highlight its difficulties. Suppose our society passed a law that says, No one shall forcefully take a television set from the possession of another. But the next day your neighbor comes over to your house with a gun and forcefully takes your television set from you. Having identified your neighbor, you call the police. The police show up at his door and demand that he surrender the television; he refuses, whereupon they pullShow MoreRelatedEssay on Affirmative Action is Reverse Discrimination1010 Words   |  5 PagesAffirmative Action is Reverse Discrimination    When the Civil Rights Bill was being debated on the floor of the Senate, Barry Goldwater predicted that this particular bill might be abused. Herbert Humphrey, however, stated that he would eat every page of the bill if ever it were used to justify discrimination against anybody on account of race or sex. The bill eventually passed and became the Civil Rights Act. From college admissions to government contracts, the Civil Rights Act has been grosslyRead MoreEssay on Reverse Discrimination and Affirmative Action4000 Words   |  16 PagesReverse Discrimination and Affirmative Action Discrimination in employment has been an issue that has plagued our society throughout history. At the turn of this century it was acceptable to advertise job openings and specifically state that people of a certain race, color, religion, gender, or national origin need not apply. A lot has changed over the last 100 years. The proverbial pendulum has swung in the direction of federal protection of certain people, but the problem now is thatRead MoreAffirmative Action is NOT Reverse Discrimination Essay2079 Words   |  9 Pages Affirmative action is not the source of discrimination, but the vehicle for removing the effects of discrimination. The Labor Department report found less than 100 reverse discrimination cases among more than 3,000 discrimination opinions by the U.S. District Court and the Court of Appeal between 1990 and 1994. Discrimination was established in only six cases. The report found that, â€Å"Many of the cases were the result of a disappointed applicant†¦. erroneously assuming that when a woman or minorityRead MoreAffirmative Action to Reverse Discrimination Essay2454 Words   |  10 PagesAffirmative Action to Reverse Discrimination Question at Issue Affirmative action was implemented with the idea and hope that America would finally become truly equal. The tension of the 1960s civil rights movement had made it very clear, that the nations minority and female population were not receiving equal social and economic opportunity. The implementation of affirmative action was Americas first honest attempt at solving a problem, it had previously chose to ignore. However, thereRead MoreAffirmative Action is Reverse Discrimination Essay example1814 Words   |  8 PagesAffirmative Action is Reverse Discrimination Even though slavery has not been a part of America for over a century now, racial discrimination still exists in various parts of our culture. A controversial policy known as affirmative action was introduced in the 1960s to try and promote racial equality in society. Affirmative action is supposed to give minorities an equal chance in life by requiring minority employment, promotions, college acceptance, etc. At first this sounds like a perfectRead MoreAffirmative Action vs Reverse Discrimination Essay1614 Words   |  7 PagesAffirmative Action or Reverse Discrimination Colleen Koehn Business Law 1038 Instructor Jackie Sexson March 1, 2010 South University Online There has been a large debate in recent years if affirmative action has gone against the American way, has affirmative action caused reverse discrimination? The establishment of affirmative action was put into place to create equal rights for racial minorities, ethnic minorities, women, the physically disabled and those who served in the militaryRead MoreExercise 3.4 : Reverse Discrimination Or Legal Affirmative Action?1945 Words   |  8 PagesExercise 3.4 - Reverse Discrimination or Legal Affirmative Action? FORM 3.4.1 1. What conditions are necessary in order for an organization to show preference for one group over another? As long as it is not sexual, racial or discrimination because of any disabilities which has no connection with the performance of the job, the organization can differentiate between different groups through job qualifications, skill sets education levels, interviews, , and many other conditions required by certainRead MoreBUSI 642 DB 1 Essay990 Words   |  4 Pages BUSI 642: Week 2 Discussion Board 1 Liberty University Discussion Board 1 In a world that is quick to state discrimination has taken place, there is a new discrimination emerging (i.e. reverse discrimination). Is this form of discrimination really discrimination? What diversity practices would you put in place to prevent any kind of discrimination? Generally speaking, discrimination is rooted in within the â€Å"cultural fabric of the United States† along the lines of â€Å"housing, employment, health,Read More Affirmative Action Essay1503 Words   |  7 Pages Affirmative Action is defined by Websters New World College Dictionary as a policy or program for correcting the effects of discrimination in the employment or education of members of certain groups. The phrase affirmative action was coined by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 when he issued Executive Order 10925, initiating the Presidents Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246. This order required federal contractors toRead MoreEssay on Affirmative Action Policies912 Words   |  4 PagesThe past few days the human resources department has been discussing the importance of implementing an affirmative action policy to assist in assuring that the company complies with equal employment opportu nity laws. The department has decided that the best action is to contact the members of the board of directors. The Federal Government has passed several laws to prevent employment discrimination, and not complying with these laws can cause serious consequences. The purpose of equal employment opportunity