Do We Still Need Affirmative Action?

• “Affirmative ...”

  

  “There Are Many Undeniable Costs to the Use of Racial Preferences”

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There Are Many Undeniable Costs to the Use of Racial Preferences

Center for Equal Opportunity

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But suppose that you believe that there are some benefits to using racial preferences. Very well, then: You must then ask if they are worth the costs. And the costs are considerable. Here are some of them.  

Affirmative discrimination is personally unfair, passes over better qualified individuals, and sets a disturbing legal, political, and moral precedent in allowing racial discrimination.

It creates resentment.

It stigmatizes the so-called beneficiaries in the eyes of their classmates, teachers, coworkers, and employers.

It fosters a victim mindset, removes the incentive for academic excellence, and encourages separatism.

It compromises the academic mission of the university and lowers the overall academic quality of the student body, in the case of college admissions; it lowers productivity by hiring and promoting those other than the best qualified, for employers; and it costs taxpayers money, by awarding contracts to those other than the lowest bidder, in the case of set-asides.

It creates pressure to discriminate in grading and graduation, or in employee evaluations.

It breeds hypocrisy within the school and company, and encourages a scofflaw attitude there.

It mismatches individuals and colleges/jobs, guaranteeing failure for many of the former.

It papers over and allows society to ignore the real social problem of why so many African Americans and Latinos are uncompetitive for top schools and jobs.

It gets governments, companies, and schools involved in unsavory activities like deciding which racial and ethnic minorities will be favored and which ones discriminated against, and how much blood is needed to establish group membership.

Next Argument

"Affirmative Action is Divisive" Center for Equal Opportunity

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

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

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

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

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

Most Objections

Ban Affirmative Action?

• Yes
• No

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