Affirmative Action

What is Affirmative Action?

Affirmative Action is a program which was designed to recruit, motivate, and train individuals from a wide range of backgrounds for schools and jobs from which minorities had long been excluded, and for which many lacked the necessary preparation. It is a program designated to help minorities and women get their feet off the ground after years of discrimination and oppression. It is believed that because of past unequal treatments, it is difficult for minorities and women to compete in the mainstream society with their white male counterparts. A good quote by Eric Neisser sums up this idea, "If an athlete is tied up for weeks while her colleagues are practicing and, on the day of the meet, she is released and placed in the race, she would not be expected to win, much less compete as well her competitors." Affirmative Action not only tries to make jobs and schooling more accessible to these minority groups, it also tries to strengthen the motivation of these people, so they can actually believe that they can achieve something in life. Affirmative Action has been an issue under fire lately, and it has been debated heavily on whether it is a good program or a bad one. Both sides have strong arguments.
 
I agree with it, alot of my freinds wouldnt have a future without it
 
For all of the times people have said that they've been screwed out of this or that because of it, I've never been turned away at a job or school because of it. If it helps people that have to deal with a race barrier everyday, then I say good. The only thing is its trying to circumvent one form of rascism with another form of rascism. Which is not really an issue for me, but it's still hypocritical.
 
^ditto....kind of ^



Is this an american thing? You dont really get cases where racism stops people getting into jobs over here now. Most of the time the interviewers hae excuses like "Too spotty" and "Has dirty finger nails"

Its true as well. I know a guy who works at a place called CIS in manchester, and they had to shred litterally hundreds of interview nots and stuff because a rule law was made which forced made it so those notes were allowed to be viewed by anyoner who asked.
 
In canada (and I think britian) when you turn in a job application its illegal for the employer to ask what race you are

Also they cannot take drug tests... as long as your sober for work, whatever you do on your own time is your business
 
Originally posted by Farrowlesparrow
^ditto....kind of ^



Is this an american thing? You dont really get cases where racism stops people getting into jobs over here now. Most of the time the interviewers hae excuses like "Too spotty" and "Has dirty finger nails"

Its true as well. I know a guy who works at a place called CIS in manchester, and they had to shred litterally hundreds of interview nots and stuff because a rule law was made which forced made it so those notes were allowed to be viewed by anyoner who asked.

So they shredded all of their interviews because they turned people away people because of their race?
 
No they shredded them because they turned people away for excuses that shouldnt be allowed really, and arent looked on a a good light. I never mentioned race as one of them. It was silly things, just because they didnt like them. Not because they were Asian or anything.
Like i said, "to spotty", as in they happen to have some acne.
 
Surely you should be able to employ who ever the hell you want.
Black or White spotty or not.
 
Originally posted by MrWhite
In canada (and I think britian) when you turn in a job application its illegal for the employer to ask what race you are

Thats a 100% anti-affirmative action policy then.

At first I was really aginst it, but now I'm kind of ambivalent. In a perfect society there should be no such thing .. but we know our society is not perfect and need some way to keep the minorities in line. This is especially important since a large part of our military is made up of minorities. It's true that some white people would suffer because of it, but it's definatelly better then civil war.
 
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