Question

What was the intent of affirmative action? What has happened in placed that eliminated affirmative action? What do you think should be done?

Answer 1

affirmative action also called positive discrimination is a state provision of reducing discrimination in entry to educational institutions and organisations on grounds of race and ethnicity, gender and disabilities. The concept is based on creating provisions such as in the form of a reserved quota or relaxation in the selection criteria to ensure greater participation of socially and economically vulnerable groups in society so that they have equal opportunity to resources for development like their counterparts in the mainstream society. In the UnitedHealth States, two key legislations related to affirmative action were implemented during the tenure of President Kennedy and the Lyndon Johnson. The rationale behind such a provision was a means to provide a form of rappartion for the rampant discrimination against the people of coloured origin in the past and facilitate their economic welfare. However, the practice soon came under challenge when in 2003, three judges of the Supreme Court passed a resolution in favour of educational institutions considering race as a factor during admisssion to higher studies. Today, states such California, Michigan and Washington ban the practice of affirmative action. In its place, some colleagues announce financial assistance and special provisions to the benefit of students from underprivileged sections so that they may continue to pursue their goal of economic and social prosperity without the lacuna in the federal infrastructure.

While affirmative action has become a bone of contention in the service and education industry due to its overhauling blindness to the other kinds of differences that it creates in the organisations such as a negative attitude towards those who entered the organisation due to a constitutional provision, it seemed to be a promising intervention also. In my opinion, if one reflects on the larger ideal and the rationale behind affirmative action, then it can be contested that affirmative action sought to resolve the mishap pending such of the past and allowing for the creation of a moreover liberal and equalitarian environment. Perhaps, what lacked in the implementation of the programme was a simulataneous education in more positive attitudes towards ethnic and gender minorities such that memebers of the mainstream can look beyond ‘us’ and ‘them’ paradigm and experience positive discrimination as a moral responsibility to ‘share’ rather then give a sizeable proportion of economic and social benefits to the others.