MESSAGE OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
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Thomas E. Hill offers a view of the message of affirmative action that begins with the belief that actions speak louder than words and that affirmative action conveys a message. He sees this as a necessary message and thus sees affirmative action as a necessary medium for that message. Affirmative action programs are criticized for having in their very nature a form of "reverse discrimination," a discrimination now on the basis of majority rather than minority status. "Affirmative action" refers to efforts to redress imbalances in the workplace by actively seeking out employees who have traditionally been excluded, such as members of racial minorities and women. In the past, certain Americans have been excluded from full participation in the American economy. Racial discrimination and sexual discrimination are the two primary reasons for this. Even if we assume that such discrimination has been eliminated, it is believed that special efforts need to be taken to make up for past sins. Affirmative action is a way of seeking out candidates from previously excluded groups and may include preferential treatment in order to elevate minority candidates above other candidates in order to achieve some form of racial or gender balance. The goal is admirable, but the means can lead to conflict and to a system in which excellence is not the primary criterion for advancement.Proponents of affirmative action state that these groups need extra consi
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irmative action state that all discrimination should be eliminated and that only qualifications and excellence should serve as criteria. The problem with affirmative action is that it is not fair to all. More than this, it is suggested that affirmative action does not do a service to those elements in the population that it is intended to serve. Critics suggest that these policies have not helped blacks at all and have indeed impeded the development of coalitions for social programs and have inhibited black Americans through a reinforcement of a deep sense of inferiority. Institutional racism is the most difficult type to eliminate because it often seems to be anti-racist in intent. Programs have been developed to protect blacks, but often they only serve to separate blacks from whites and thus affirm racism in some degree. Affirmative action is such a program. It was intended to redress old wounds, but it tends to create new wounds. It may be helping blacks in many situations, or at least helping specific blacks. It is not solving the problem of racism, though, and may be adding to it because of the resentment it has created in a segment of the white population that has been hurt by affirmative action. Affirmative actio
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Approximate Word count = 1220
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)
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