There has been such a clamor about affirmative action being unfair and that it discriminates based on color. States are attempting to dismantle the the mechanism that has attempted to be a societal watchdog for our country. Affirmative action has opened opportunities to individuals of color that would have been closed to them if it were not in place. You really cannot appreciate the value of an opportunity unless you have been around those that have been denied. There are segments of our country that still do not realize that they have the right to achieve, and that opportunities await them. I blame the system of racism that perpetuated and still perpetuates the myth of "If it aint White it aint right". I am sure many of you will say that the Writer is simply having a "Pity party" and that he should get over it. Unless you have witnessed these individuals of our society you will never be able to truly understand the statement. Affirmative action is for these individuals that have been placed in this mental soup of insignificance.
I must point out the fact that affirmative has not soley helped people of color but has assisted in the social rise of white women. White women have gained more under affirmative action than the actual minorities it was designed to help. The opponents of affirmative action claim that it is unfair and give people of color an unfair advantage over Whites. The other claim of the opponents is that it is an unnecessary advantage that has outlived its purpose. These are individuals that have no clue of how the real world operates or they like the imbalance in our society. These individuals need to be stamped out and America needs to live up to its claims of freedom, justice, and the pursuit of hapiness and emerge from this apparent paradox. We cannot claim to be the home of the free and still struggle with the spectre of racism. In this day and time where people of color are the majority of this country (regardless of the tricks ethnic labeling) there is need of a revolution. A revolution of the minds of our youth and in our socio-economic structure will begin the cycle of change needed to bring about a societal balance. Affirmative action is not perfect and I disagree with some of the uses in certain areas. In education I dont think it is warranted to give extra points to students of color to get them into institutions. Students that have the grades should be given the opportunity to attend schools if they qualify. Allowing a student that doesnt have the grades to enter an institution only allows the student to fail and makes a mockery of the opportunity. Many whites drop or fail out of institutions, but no one is there to point out the fact that they have. Affirmative action simply gives the individual and opportunity that he/she would otherwise be denied because of color , race or gender. It doesnt take anything away from one person to give to another, but this is the arguement that is being used. If one student of color is given the opporunity to attend school why does a White individual feel the need to think that the spot was his? This is the greatest display White privilege and how some Whites expect to get opportunities because of their percieved superiority and favoritism in our society. This example alone justifies the existence of affirmative action and why we cant leave the progression of individual groups to go unchecked. I hope one day there will not be a need for affirmative action but until all people become human beings it will continue to be necessary.