Close your eyes, now imagine a world of love; not hate, a world of equality; not preference. Now, imagine a colorblind society. That is what most of American society wants. That is the reason Affirmative Action was birthed by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. That is also the reason that Proposition 209 was voted for in 1996. These two historical events are driven by the desire of equality. What is Affirmative Action? According to Geraldine Leshin, it is “Taking positive or active steps to accomplish the public policy goal of equal employment opportunity.
What is Proposition 209? Its a new law that has been passed that “prohibits the state of California and local governments from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public employment, public education or public contracting (San Jose Mercury News). ” Affirmative action was implemented for important reasons. “Broadly defined, affirmative action refers to efforts to increase educational and employment opportunities for minorities and women.
More specifically, it applies to various programs and policies designed to increase the number of minorities and women hired by government and industry and admitted into colleges and universities. “(Faundez, 213) Affirmative action is important especially in the work force. Before affirmative action, minorities and women felt, and seemed to be, discriminated against being chosen for the job. Affirmative action was to help with the “increasing of opportunities for those that were previously discriminated against”(Lemann, 145).
Affirmative action was created to not only help Black-Americans, but to help “many groups beyond women and minorities including the disabled, veterans, economically disadvantaged and others. “(Nicolaus, , 87) Affirmative action also aids in the areas of contracting and education. With contracting,, “affirmative action helps firms owned by women and minorities, or firms that can show a disadvantage”(Lemann, 110) Affirmative action in education also reaches out to disabled students, women, minorities, economically disadvantaged students, veterans, etc.
It helps them in many ways like: ” early outreach programs, recruitment and retention programs, efforts in admissions to diversify the student population, and specific financial aid opportunities. “(Edwards, 213) So as you can see, Affirmative action was proposed and accepted for a great many reasons that constantly create controversy. Not only minorities have supported affirmative action. Most people would imagine all minorities love affirmative action and strongly voted for it and thats why it passed.
Thats part of the reason, but we must not forget two major supporters of Affirmative action. One of these supporters is an unsuspected group of men; namely, the Angry White Guys for Affirmative Action. Yes, a group of white men! These men are angry because they feel that being a white man gives them more privileges than are fair. Paul Rockwell, the president of Angry White Guys for Affirmative Action says: We hear a lot about angry white males today. Well, we too are angry white males.
But contrary to the caricature, we support affirmative action. As white men whose own families got free medical care, or unquestioned access to higher education through the GI Bill, who shared in the social uplift of the New Deal, we support affirmative action for those who are still left out. And we are not tear-jerk liberals, or millionaires who can afford to appear magnanimous. It is out of our own self-interest, as direct beneficiaries of social engineering, that we support programs of inclusion.
Ryan Mendoza from the Yale Daily News applauds the Angry White Guys because he says, “Although Affirmative Action treats innocent white males unequally, it does not deprive them of any genuine equal opportunity rights. Affirmative Action only eliminates undeserved increases in their prospects of success. ” The other group that supports the survival of Affirmative Action is the organization “California Votes NO on 209.
They firmly believe in Affirmative Action for the same reasons the others do, “Affirmative Action refers to programs that seek to remedy past discrimination against women, minorities, and others by increasing the recruitment, promotion, retention, and on-the-job training opportunities in employment and by removing barriers to admission to educational institutions. ” Affirmative Action supporters are fighting to keep it alive because they fear that things like Proposition 209 will destroy all that has been fought to obtain. They fear that non-discriminatory affirmative action programs by state and local governments will be abolished.
They fear that it will impede the enforcement of anti-discriminatory laws, or efforts to include previously excluded citizens. The fear that it will apply to even private sector programs. They also fear it will abolish programs where sex is a necessary distinction (Public Affairs Web). The reasons that Affirmative Action was created in the beginning were important and real reasons. However, times have been changing and many feel that the need for Affirmative Action has as well. This is the reason why Proposition 209 became an explosive issue in the 1996 voting.
The creators of this proposition, as well as its supporters, believe that Prop. 209 is essential for the future of racial harmony as well as a chance for equal progression. There are many reasons Proposition 209 was created. Ted Rall, author of The Affirmative Action Debate Exposed, supports Proposition 209 because he says: In any situation where there are only a limited number of slots and an excess number of qualified applicants, one persons advantage is another persons disadvantage. But it any way you want, but thats simple math, and its an equation that white male applicants understand intuitively.
Instead of simply admitting that whites and men get hurt by affirmative action and that this is the price they pay for the sins of their racist and sexist fathers, the proponents of affirmative action have become experts in deceit. Rather than having the moral courage to say that these policies are imperfectbut necessaryremedies for centuries of systematic discrimination, these lying wimps try to sell the dubious proposition that life is not a zero-sum game, that granting an advantage to one person doesnt have to penalize someone else. Is it any wonder whites are screaming for an end to affirmative action?
White males are feeling deprived of their honest and deserved accomplishments and the fruits of their efforts just because they are white. They feel that their chances at a job are immediately less because businesses have quotas of race to fill. They realize that they may even be more qualified for a job but will lose out because they arent a minority. That is reverse discrimination. They believe that the passage of this proposition will encourage a healthy competition for jobs, and that it will cause people to strive harder to do their best.
They are hoping for a color-blind opportunity at a job and that their individual qualifications and personalities can land them the job they desire and earned. Not only white, middle class, suburbanite men are in favor of the implementation of Proposition 209 and the doing away with of Affirmative Action. Many minority men feel the same way. They often are left feeling as if they were given a job, not because of their qualifications, but to simply fit the quota. They feel this causes their co-workers to despise them. It also eats away at their self-esteem.
Some feel the effects of being “handed” a job are worse than having to fight for a job that they earned (Lemann, 54). Our government leaders and many of Californian citizens of all race and creeds are fighting for the equality they see in Prop. 209, and the truth about what it will not take away from society. The ending of Affirmative Action, they believe, “is needed to end this wasteful and divisive system and restore color-blindness to California law and government. It will help make the California Constitution an instrument of unity, not division (San Jose Mercury Sun).
US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said: “Government cannot make us equal; it can only recognize, respect and protect us as equal before the law. ” Governor Pete Wilson supports the ending of Proposition 209. He says that “mandating and practicing inequality cannot bring equality. In a single sentence, this initiative captures the spirit of fairness and equal opportunity that is at the heart of the American dream. ” The fears of the pro-affirmative action groups can be set to rest.
They assure that the ending of Affirmative Action through Proposition 209 will NOT abolish non-discriminatory affirmative action programs by state and local governments. It will NOT impede the enforcement of anti-discriminatory laws, or efforts to include previously excluded citizens. It will NOT apply to private sector programs. And it will NOT abolish programs where sex is a necessary distinction (Public Affairs Web). It is obvious that on both sides of the issue of Affirmative Action, that there are valid arguments. Is racial harmony something that can be legislated or is it simply a matter of the heart that we ourselves need to change?
Will there ever be equality in the work place, and if so, is it the survival of Affirmative Action or the passing of Proposition 209, or a program like it, that will bring that long-awaited equality? Does Affirmative Action hurt the white man? Is it only the white man that suffers, or is it also biting the hands of those who are feeding it, taking away the dignity and pride of those of ethnic minorities hunting for jobs? These are the questions to the issue of Affirmative Action that we each have to decide upon and now that you have the necessary information, it is up to you to decide.
