Sejal Says, " It's Time For Affirmative Action to End"
From corrupted government systems to corrupted education systems, affirmative action has been a pivotal piece of the American Education system that is very controversial. Affirmative Action is defined as the practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously.
Affirmative action is a big part of the inner functions of the government and it has served as a gateway to identity politics- a tendency for people of a particular religion, race, or social background to form exclusive party alliances. One prevalent example many high schoolers witness regarding affirmative action is when they must disclose their ethnicity on AP and SAT/ACT testing. If they are not separating/altering our scores based on race, why is it a necessary section to fill out? Yes, I do concede in saying that many people living in poverty don't have the ability to afford preparatory materials or their testing averages are relatively lower, however, we must also consider the other hardworking students who deserve an equal chance to get accepted into colleges.
Affirmative action is a big part of the inner functions of the government and it has served as a gateway to identity politics- a tendency for people of a particular religion, race, or social background to form exclusive party alliances. One prevalent example many high schoolers witness regarding affirmative action is when they must disclose their ethnicity on AP and SAT/ACT testing. If they are not separating/altering our scores based on race, why is it a necessary section to fill out? Yes, I do concede in saying that many people living in poverty don't have the ability to afford preparatory materials or their testing averages are relatively lower, however, we must also consider the other hardworking students who deserve an equal chance to get accepted into colleges.
Henry David Thoreau introduces a unique motif where he compared the government with a machine. When people decided to rebel against an American policy that they disagree with they typically get discouraged because of the daunting size of the government. But if they simply act as "counter-friction" against the continuous machine that is the government, they can truly effect change (Thoreau 88). In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau continues the motif of the machine-like government and Thoreau specifically talks about injustice as "a spring, or a pulley" to display the simplicity of the government's structure (Thoreau 84). In mentioning this, he is showing how it only takes one person to start a rebellion and once one part of the government is disabled the whole machine can eventually be reformed to fit the everchanging needs of society.
Affirmative Action was designed to end unfair treatment and discrimination of anyone based on color, but it in effect, has done the opposite. White people who are more qualified and are working harder can be passed over strictly because of their color. Additionally, workers and students, who are put into a position through this policy, are often not fully ready for the task. This can be bad not only for the business or school but also for these workers and students themselves, as self-esteem will be lowered. It can also be seen as condescending towards minorities as this policy is essentially giving them a boost as if they are not capable of getting into college on their own merit. This is why I believe Affirmative Action must come to an end.
The government maintains a moderate position in regard to the issue of keeping or removing Affirmative Action. Although I have mentioned the reasons why Affirmative Action should be ended, how can minorities get the same opportunities as middle and upper-class students? There is still no 'perfect' resolution to this issue. So I ask you, do you think Affirmative Action is a viable solution to compensate for educational disparities or has it reached its end.
Affirmative Action was designed to end unfair treatment and discrimination of anyone based on color, but it in effect, has done the opposite. White people who are more qualified and are working harder can be passed over strictly because of their color. Additionally, workers and students, who are put into a position through this policy, are often not fully ready for the task. This can be bad not only for the business or school but also for these workers and students themselves, as self-esteem will be lowered. It can also be seen as condescending towards minorities as this policy is essentially giving them a boost as if they are not capable of getting into college on their own merit. This is why I believe Affirmative Action must come to an end.
The government maintains a moderate position in regard to the issue of keeping or removing Affirmative Action. Although I have mentioned the reasons why Affirmative Action should be ended, how can minorities get the same opportunities as middle and upper-class students? There is still no 'perfect' resolution to this issue. So I ask you, do you think Affirmative Action is a viable solution to compensate for educational disparities or has it reached its end.
I really like how you took a part of the piece we read and related it more to the outside world and how we could be affected by these issues. I also liked how you agreed with the opposing viewpoint but explained how it is unfair to other people.
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