Affirmative action as we know it has served its original purpose; without review, it will ultimately perpetuate the racism and oppression it was designed to destroy. The original purpose of Affirmative Action is to give special consideration to qualified and underrepresented women and minorities in education, employment, and contract awards to offset historical and institutional racism, discrimination, and oppression of white males.
Although the face value of this policy seems to give women and minorities a long-awaited shortcut in the line of opportunity on the journey toward their dreams; it is really an illusion of fairness that makes them forget and overlook who owns the amusement park in the first place. Affirmative action should not focus on giving underrepresented populations at the front of the line shortcuts, but rather on giving them the psychological and educational tools that will enable them to design their own rides and build their own amusement park.
The current Affirmative Action policy is punitive in nature because it suggests that all white men are rich and powerful racists who oppress women and minorities. And if he personally does not have these characteristics, some white male in his family lineage had or will have these characteristics in the future, so he should be sanctioned with exclusion. This policy also assumes that simply because he is a white male, he is automatically intellectually and financially superior to women and minorities. Furthermore, everything he wants will come to him easily without hard work, struggle and sacrifice because other white men in dominant positions are eagerly waiting to anoint his every wish.
This may be true for a small percentage of white men, but I believe that most people, regardless of race or gender, have worked very hard to achieve their goals and dreams. The key to success for white men is not that someone gave them the answers to the bar or college entrance exams, but that they share the same work ethic, identity, and level of self-esteem as the people who wrote the exams. .
A billion years from now, American slavery and the decimation of Native Americans will still have taken place in America. How many years, decades, or centuries must pass before white men are justly punished for the sins of their fathers? How will we scientifically measure whether or not they have been sufficiently punished for their father’s sins? Will we measure it by the success of women and minorities compared to white men? or by the percentage of white men who fail in areas where they were previously successful? Based on the current conditions of American society, affirmative action does not create a cohesive and cooperative American culture that unites its citizens; but one that is divisive and refuses to learn from the past and more importantly learn to forgive.
Affirmative action should be a policy that affirms authentic beauty across all races, religions, ethnic groups, and genders to ensure that all qualified applicants, including white males, have equal opportunities based on a “rotating system” that reflects the racial and cultural diversity. In America.
The reason we need some kind of Affirmative Action policy is because it is human nature for people to associate with people who think, act, feel, and behave like themselves. Look at your friends (do not include sex of any kind) how many real friends (not co-workers or colleagues who come over to your house for social activities or lunch from time to time) do you have who are of a different race or religion and not share your belief system? Most people have close friends who are the same race as them. There is nothing wrong with having most of the friends in your personal life who look and think like you; however, in a culturally diverse society like the United States, it is essential to our well-being that we have a policy that overcomes social and cultural conditioning and personal preferences that creates a workforce and educational system that celebrates, cultivates, and respects cultural diversity .
I believe that Affirmative Action should focus on alleviating the conditions that create or contribute to racism and discrimination by:
1. We should establish a cultural diversity committee representing all major systems and departments in education, employment, and policy to develop a rotating hiring and acceptance criteria that is inclusive of all races and genders (including white males).
2. America must declare an official language. Even if it’s Spanish or French, I’m willing to learn it. One of the reasons the Native Americans and Africans in the slave trade were unsuccessful in fighting back is because they spoke over 100 (some sources say over 1000) different languages living in close proximity to each other. Because they couldn’t communicate with each other, they couldn’t plan, vote, or organize as an effective community, much less a defense army. Reality is subjective. Language gives people the tools to see, understand and respect the point of view of others.
3. To build self-esteem and self-worth in all ethnic groups, we must establish a committee that includes members of all ethnic groups and genders to oversee that all public school textbooks objectively include the contributions of all races and genders for all. themes and theories. Freud, Jung, Skinner, and Watson are not the only people who contribute to the field of psychology. For example, each textbook should include theories from Asian, Hispanic, Arab, white, and African psychologists, both male and female. When students see the contributions and success of people who look like themselves, as well as others, they will learn that success and intelligence are not a physical characteristic of being white or male, but rather who you are on the inside.
4. There is no such thing as a white person. All people have culture, traditions and heritage. How can you respect the differences in another person when you cannot see and respect the unique differences and beauty within yourself?
5. The story must be taught objectively and truthfully so that people learn that being a victim or a hero is not related to skin color but to inner integrity and dignity. African Americans should be taught that one of the reasons the slave trade in America was so successful was because many (not all) African leaders captured and sold their own people into slavery. The Europeans were unfamiliar with the continent and would not have been as successful without the cooperation of the native Africans. White people need to know that there were many white people who fought against slavery and lost everything, including their lives and families, because they felt slavery was wrong. Not all by any means, but it is documented that many Native Americans were successful paid slave catchers because they were more familiar with the land. Learning that all ethnic groups are capable of choosing to do right or wrong will teach people that it is not the color of their skin that determines their success in life but the choices they make.