Do affirmative action programs fuel racism?

It depends on who you talk to.

If we continue to base things on race, racism will never go away.

Personally, I believe the best qualified individual should get the job without consideration for race. I don't believe in quotas or forced diversity. If you need to fill 5 jobs and the top five candidates happen to be white, I don't agree with reaching deeper into the applicant pool to find a less qualified candidate who happens to be a minority. (Actually, here in Texas, the population has shifted to the point where whites are the minority but you don't see them getting the affirmative action breaks.)

I have the same feelings for school applications. Race should not be a factor at all. Grades, test scores, essays, letters of recommendation, and outside activities should be the only things considered.

It can just add fuel to a complex and impossible to fully rectify situation. It really shouldn't matter what race/sex/religion/etc a person is but many still harbor old bias's.

Affirmative action was used against me (although i am actually half middle eastern I don't appear to be anything but white). I know a human resources employee w/ the company and he told me that the black female they hired was just too good of an opportunity to score points even if she was far less qualified. Although I don't consider myself racist at all I was upset. I could see how a person who was unfairly denied something in order to give a less qualified person an opportunity would harbor great anger towards the program and the situation.

I think we need to address only those people who show racism and not try to make up for past wrongs by inflicting unfair quotas on people who didn't do anything wrong.

The racism is always there. Without affirmative action, racism cuts the opportunities. What bothers me is that a kid's parents can give a few thousand dollars to the alumni association of most, if not all, of the top state universities, such as Virginia and Michigan, and get a legacy admission. These admissions are nothing more than affirmative action for the privileged. And no one is complaining about legacy admittees at the publicly funded state universities!

Affirmative action is biased.And if the people who it's suppose to be protecting really thought about it, it's telling them they aren't as smart or as good as whites.Because if they were equals they wouldn't need affirmative action would they now?It's a slam and most don't get it.Just like placing the Native Americans on reservations.The Native American people who originally were placed on reservations fought to the death to stay OFF a reservation.They took it as an insult to their intelligence and they were right.The same thing is true of affirmative action.It's an insult.

Look, everyone wants to be and needs to be treated as equals. That is the bottom line. What AA does is create boundaries for that ultimate goal. It prohibits what could be a more deserving person regardless of color. I understand it was implemented to do good things and what have you but it just ends up being biased in it's own way. I still think that there is far too much racism in this country today, and, I don't think programs like AA help the masses in a positive way. It's not a racist notion to think that; it's just the overall feeling I get from the program.

Affirmative action IS racism. My son was put on a 'waiting list' for a magnet simply because he was white and the whites were put into a lottery. This despite the fact that Hispanics and NOT whites are the majority of those who have not already fled the LAUSD and remain as students.

What about that isn't racism? There weren't even enough qualified students to fill the class without him. (I know this because they called to say that because of that they might be able to get him a waiver, but we were going elsewhere by then.)

And UCLA for the second year will have Asians as the largest ethnic group. I have nothing against Asians, and to the extent they score or grade better than my kids, my kids are out of luck. However, there is a STATED UC policy of, if two students are equal in grades and test scores, they will take the 'labeled minority' first. Since Asians have no problem with grades and test scores, that again is just racism. The kids my kid is in school with, a number of whom are wealthier than we are, will have the inside track and an unfair advantage. I don't blame the Asians, for heaven's sake, education is so putrid here that every parent uses what they can, but it is definitely racism by our government to put that system into effect.

And note that whites are a MINORITY of students in California.

And to the poster below, blacks are not getting much out of it. At least, not here.

Affirmative action is a robust application. It has helped milliions of minorities and girls human beings gain the yankee Dream help it. White men have already got too plenty money] Time to allow human beings connect interior the exciting

Affirmative action is a dinosaur who's time has come and gone, it is no longer needed and in fact is a hindrance more than a help. To be truly equal we must BE equal and giving an advantage to someone due to race or gender is not equality.

Affirmative action is a slap in the face. What it says to me

is that we have people who are too dumb or lazy or both to

compete in our society. To need affirmative action is all the

proof that bigots need to say "see I told you them people are

inferior" Its time for pride and determination to get a grip on

the whiners.

I think affirmative action is cruel and condescending. Think about it. The inherent message is twofold:

1. Blacks, you are not good enough to make it. You cannot get ahead in life without the help of us feel goody types.

2. Blacks, you can't cut it in college. There is no way you can do the necessary hard work, make the grades and become successful. We want to feel good about ourselves, so we are going to lower the bar for you. While we feel good about the wonderful works we've done, you get to invest 4 or more years of your life only to find out you lack the skills you need to get ahead. Us feel goody types mollycoddled you along the way and we feel good about ourselves, unfortunately we deprived you of the tough love you needed to actually learn and get the skills you need.

I know if anyone would have told me I wasn't good enough all they would get from me is a solid middle finger.