In his book The Practice of Ethics, LaFollette wrote a chapter on Affirmative Action and the ethical arguments for and against the practice (LaFollette, 2007). Depending on your perspective, affirmative action can have a two different very different definitions.
One source defines it this way: “Affirmative action is a set of laws or policies that favor disenfranchised groups of people in efforts to make up for discriminatory practices in the past” (New York Times Editorial Staff, 2021).
And yet, another source says that “affirmative action refers to any number of policies that seek to give certain groups improved access to education, employment, healthcare or social service. These policies help groups who have been discriminated against or who are underrepresented in a work or educational environment” (Meyer, 2017).
LaFollette starts the chapter by giving a few common arguments against affirmative action. The first is the claim of reverse discrimination. This reason says that “two wrongs don’t make a right” and affirmative action is systematic racism against whites (LaFollette, 2007).
The second argument that it “hurts those who have done no wrong” (LaFollette, 2007). The “passage of time dissipates any reason for whites to compensate blacks” for the mistreatment or discrimination they have faced in the past (LaFollette, 2007).
The third rationale claims that affirmative action it prevents the “best qualified candidate” from receiving the opportunity (LaFollette, 2007). However, it can easily be argued that the “most deserving students [or employees] are those who will best meet the society’s needs” which might be a person from a minority group (LaFollette, 2007).
Another argument is that hiring or affirmative action selection practices stigmatizes blacks and that “many assume that blacks who get jobs are not qualified” but “this is an odd assumption for someone who claims not to be racist….” (LaFollette, 2007).
The last argument that LaFollette gives is that it is the “right of the employers” to “hire whomever they want” (LaFollette, 2007). However, this claim does not recognize the potential for racism in hiring practices which is exactly what affirmative action is fight against.
The arguments that LaFollette gives for affirmative action are simple. Since racism “is alive and thriving in the United States” then there is a need to systematically fight against it.
Secondly, there is a need to provide true equality of opportunity to people of color “against the background of veiled and institutional racism” (LaFollette, 2007). “Since blacks were wronged because of their race, any scheme for promoting equality of opportunity must make reference to their race” (LaFollette, 2007).
In my opinion, affirmative action is a complicated issue and in practice it seems much harder to execute well than it is in theory. However, speaking in theoretical terms, affirmative action serves a crucial role in acknowledging racism and working to correct racist practices within our educational system and corporations.
While this could be a long-winded reflection and explanation, I will try to keep it succinct. Speaking from my experience as a white, middle class woman, I know for a fact that where I am in life and the success I have had as an individual is a direct result of my place in the world that was given to me due to my race, my family, our faith and our access to education.
While I have worked hard and dedicated my time to improvement through my education and work experience, it seems to me that it is a matter of not ‘squandering a gift,’ per se. In many ways, even in a male dominated industry, I present myself in a way that is easy to hire and easy to promote. I am blonde, white, relatively thin, well-spoken and educated. I am this way, not because of any choice of mine but because of where I come from. I am fifth generation college educated and come from a long line of people that have benefited from being in the majority in all ways: white, Christian, natural-born American, straight, married (not divorced) and financially stable. I am still seeing benefits of the history of my family, years later.
If I can identify the ways in which I am privileged for being born into the situation I was, then it is reasonable to me, that others could feel the inverse. Therefore, if we, as a society, are going to attempt to level the playing field then people like me should acknowledge other people’s experiences and allow that to happen. Allowing a door to be opened for someone of color or to someone that is less privileged, does not take away all the other doors that I already have open to me because of my race.
Reference:
New York Times Editorial Staff. (2021). Affirmative action: Still necessary or unfair advantage?. New York Times Educational Publishing.
Meyer, S. (2017). Affirmative action. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
LaFollette, H. (2007). The practice of ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
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