Theother day, I saw a poster on a bulletin board in Bradley Hall which proclaimed:
"MYTH No. 2 :
Affirmative Action discriminates.
REALITY :
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Affirmative Action does not mean giving preference to any group ... It means creating a diverse pool of job candidates, which includes women and minorities in proportion to their availability and the awarding of the position to the most qualified candidate.
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The goal of Affirmative Action is the inclusion in the work force of individuals previously excluded or underrepresented."
Now the first point sounds great. But as long as a single white with a 4.0 G.P.A. is denied admission in favor of a minority with a 3.0 G.P.A. in the name of Affirmative Action, it is also untrue.
The second point seems closer to capturing the goal of Affirmative Action as it is practiced in America. However, contrary to what it says, Affirmative Action is not about inclusion of individuals previously underrepresented. Rather, it is about individuals, who by virtue of having the same skin color as that of a group, come to represent a group previously underrepresented, even if the disadvantages faced by the group which the individual represents are not reflected in the individual's circumstances. The average black person in America may be disadvantaged, but Affirmative Action makes no distinction between the average black and the black who is the son of a successful lawyer, went to prep schools, attended Harvard, heads a successful company and is well integrated into the mainstream of American society.
Affirmative Action fails due to several reasons. Here, I present two of them which I believe have not been given sufficient consideration by the public.
- Formation of the "Creamy Layer."
Once a minority makes use of Affirmative Action and breaks out of the cycle of poverty and hopelessness that his surroundings have exposed him to, he has become integrated into mainstream society. But Affirmative Action makes no distinction between integrated minorities and non-integrated minorities. So, an integrated minority has the advantage of being integrated as well as the advantage of being preferred under affirmative action. Hence, the quotas for minorities tend to be filled up by the integrated minorities who form the 'creamy layer' rather than by the non-integrated minorities for whom affirmative action was created in the first place. Affirmative Action fails to reach the people it was intended to reach, but instead creates a highly privileged class of people constituting the 'creamy layer' of a minority group.
- Self Selecting Communities.
Need it be that all communities in the United States are, on an average, equally talented in all areas? The answer can be no even though we accept the fact that all races are on an average, equally talented in all areas.
Let us say that at a certain point in time, America was in great need for scientists. At about the same time, country X was taken over by a tyrannical dictator, and the scientists from that country were trying to flee to a place where they could pursue scientific research in peace and quiet once again. America offered the scientists from country X a safe haven and wonderfully equipped labs to pursue their research, and the scientists came and settled down in America. So the X-ians in America are in fact more scientifically talented than the average American. And if we create a system in which a lot of deserving X-ians don't get admitted to college simply because X-ians are over-represented, then we are doing an injustice.
Affirmative Action was a great, noble and generous experiment by society. But its time has come. The time has come to stop building barriers between communities, however well intentioned they may be. It can only create and foster hate and prejudice.
So what is the solution? What do we need to do to eradicate prejudice and ensure fair treatment to everybody? We don't need to do anything much beyond what we would need to do in a more homogeneous society. The reason is that, in a capitalist and competitive society, it makes good business sense to hire and promote the best person -- regardless of skin color.
