What is your opinion concerning Affirmative Action?

Question

especially concerning education

Answer 1

I consider it "reverse discrimination"

Answer 2

reverse discrimination.

Answer 3

It's not reverse discrimination .. It is discrimination, plain and simple ... the wrong path taken by a few would be do-gooders ... a cause taken up by politicians who don't care about people , just how good it makes them look .

Answer 4

i think that if uncle sam did not have a say-so in education, you might actually see the students that do not know how to read past the 5th grade never be put in high school for 4 years, only to be graduated with no skills.  that's a great way for them to end up in gangs.  

if the schools were controlled by the individual states rather than by uncle sam, then there is not much need for affirmative action, because it's already there.  you might thumb me down for saying that, but it's true.  

you gotta ask yourself, just how much do you want uncle sam in your life and your kids' life?  

do you really think that black and white children are treated differently in the schools today, when integration began in the 1960s?  

we need not worry anything about affirmative action except for reverse discrimination.  i know, you want to give me another thumbs down for that one.  well, it exists BECAUSE of federally controlled affirmative action.  

i gotta tell you something.  i really am sick and tired of people blaming their state of life on their color.  i have absolutely nothing against anyone of any color, but if a black that hates all whites sees me walking down the street, he will frown at me as though i am his enemy.  so where does he get that idea?  he gets it from the moaners that don't do anything to better their lives, but poke the finger of blame on whitey.

Answer 5

I would like the day when it is not needed

Answer 6

It's a very difficult situation. This is one of the issues (along with abortion) were both sides of the argument have reasonable responses. You want to be equal on who you pick, and not make it seem as if your picking a certain race. To me, I feel if someone is picking me because of what I have OUTSIDE instead of INSIDE then I wouldn't feel right about it. There maybe people that have a deserving chance for education, and busted their butts off. To get shunned because someone of another race has the first option would not be fair. I understand people will see it a racist view, but statistics will show that certain races (Hispanics and Blacks to be specific) have a smaller percentage of graduation. Alot of times their parents won't have education as a preference. I'm a Hispanic person, but I feel that if I want to prove I'm worthy of entry to a school it's because of my intelligence.

Answer 7

Probably it needs to be updated to meet the needs of our times. There have got to be ways of helping people without wounding their self respect and without encouraging them to hold onto a "remnant of a slave mentality".

Here are some things we probably need to do:

- get more and better teachers into the public school system in every state, demand they meet higher criteria and pay them well, on a merit basis, especially in inner city public schools.

- Ditch the tenure system.

- provide good afterschool programs for free in a local library or other community center, where students can hook up with volunteer adult tutors to study, get tutoring and help - though prohibit having someone do kids homework for them.

- rethink standardized tests so they test the students' abilities, rather than driving the curricula in many subjects.

- stop asking college applicants what their race is

- stop paying administrators and former administrators $100K or more yearly - for little or no work. Some are getting paid this much after retiring.

- for really poor children, go back to providing them with a hot meal in the morning before school.

- Get stories of successful minorities on the news, rather than celebrity gossip, so our young people have good role models.

- College scholarships for those who need them and can maintain a B average in EVERY state.

Answer 8

It's not perfect but it's better than nothing. Race and class privilege has become an issue of birth chances in which you are stuck in a disadvantaged position if you are born black or poor, regardless of your talents or abilities. I appreciate our education or economic systems trying to create a balance, but I think as racial equality rises, determining need and merit is going to become a process too complex to bureaucratize.

Answer 9

Equality only occurs only occurs when all people are treated equally, and giving certain groups privleges, or taking away those of others, does not constitute equality. That being said, I am not opposed to affirmative action for those with less affluent backrounds, as it is not equal for them. They have not been afforded the same opportunities as those with money.

Answer 10

I think it stems from the way people are raised. Education and stuff is the real problem. affirmative action favors the black upper middle class and gives a major disadvantage to the white lower class. it is making people put race into the determining factor, forcing us to be a more racially aware nation. In my opinion, affirmative action is the wrong way of looking at racial division in this country

Answer 11

Maybe they should allow people with low intelligence to attend universities. Then we can become a weaker society so China will excell not only economically so they won't go to war with the United States. You know having people with required testing abilities to attend a university, where does that go.

Answer 12

I think it served a very good purpose, and still does except to the elite few now.

Most people link Affirmative Action with blacks going to college, but that is not true, the actual bill was for all minorities to include:

Women, people with special talents (such as math wizz), other minorities, and working parents with low income.

that portion of it has been eliminated, however it still exist in different forms, such as the way President Bush went to Yale, because his father was a graduate of Yale, he automatically was admitted, bumping somebody out of a spot. Also Alumni that give a lot of monies to schools have there children admitted (another form of affirmative action)

the media hype made it seem it was just blacks taking college spots from whites, but a lot of smart people used it to go to school

Answer 13

There is no such thing - its just a Buzz word.

Fact: "People favor people who are like themselves."  

Who are the people that make the decisions?  There's your answer.

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