Do We Still Need Affirmative Action?

• “Definitely”

  

  “As Long as Racism and Sexism Exist, Affirmative Action is Still Needed”

• No Objections Yet

As Long as Racism and Sexism Exist, Affirmative Action is Still Needed

By Any Means Necessary

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As long as there are racial and gender disparities in our society, affirmative action will still be needed. Affirmative action programs are race- and gender-conscious measures to counteract the institutional racism and sexism that stills exists in our society. Affirmative action opens the doors of opportunity that have previously been closed to women and underrepresented minorities in the areas of college admissions, hiring and contracting. Affirmative action policies are the desegregation programs for higher education.

 

Racial disparities exist in every aspect of our society, independent of class. Inequalities are present in the criminal justice system where white and minority first-time offenders receive vastly different sentences for the same crime. In healthcare, white patients are more frequently referred for life-saving medical procedures than minority patients with the same health-care coverage. In the job market, applicants with “white sounding” names get called for interviews at a much higher rate than applicants with black, Latino/a or Native American-identified names with identical resumes. Similar discrimination exists in housing, lending and almost every other aspect of life.

Next Argument

"Definitely" BAMN

• As Long as Racism and Sexism Exist, Affirmative Action is Still Needed
  2
• GPA and Standardized Test Scores are NOT Neutral Measures of Merit
  3
• Racism is the Cause of the "Badge of Inferiority"
  1
• Banning Affirmative Action Resegregates Higher Education
  3
• How to Keep Our Nation on the Path to Equality
  3

"Affirmative Action is Divisive" Center for Equal Opportunity

• Only Kind of “Affirmative Action” at Issue is Racial Discrimination
  3
• The Only Issue is Whether the Benefits Outweigh the Costs
  2
• The Two Claimed Benefits of Affirmative Discrimination Not Persuasive
  2
• There Are Many Undeniable Costs to the Use of Racial Preferences
  2
• Envision the Society We Want/Ask if Preferences Will Help Us Get There
  2

"We Need Affirmative Action" AAAA

• Affirmative Action is Necessary
  0
• Diversity is a Compelling State Interest
  0
• Discrimination Continues to Exist
  1
• To End Racism We Must Take Account of Race
  0
• Eliminating Race Does Not Benefit Whites
  0
• Opponents Mis-Characterize Affirmative Action
  1
• Dr. Martin Luther King Would Have Supported Affirmative Action
  0
• The Changing Demographics Call for Affirmative Action
  0

"We Have To Think for Ourselves" Brandon Brice

• The Equal Opportunity Act Was Not About “Quotas”
  2
• The Bigger Picture of What’s Wrong With Black America
  2
• Lack of Preparation
  2

"Moving Beyond Race and Gender" Jennifer Gratz

• Equal Opportunity for All
  7
• The Constitutionality of Affirmative Action
  5
• Our National Tragedy
  3

Most Objections

Ban Affirmative Action?

• Yes
• No

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