Self-Analysis: The good, bad, and ugly.

Looking back over the process of this blog, I’ve come to the realization that I’ve learned a substantial amount of information about not only affirmative action, but about how society has greatly differing views on equality and discrimination.  Going into this I had the assumption that, for the most part, affirmative action was about helping minorities succeed in education because people are discriminatory.  This however is not just the case. Affirmative action aims to help those who are still currently disadvantaged economically due to past inequities.  I have let go of the bias that held me to the belief that minorities were just getting advantages because of the discriminatory attitudes of the past. This being said, I came in with the belief that affirmative action was discriminatory towards majority groups and was no longer needed. This idea has not changed. I now have a greater understanding of why. My original thought process was about logic, but through my research I‘ve found statistical support. For instance that there has only been a 6% increase of majority students with a 49 % increase of non-whites. This stat shows that affirmative action has done its job but has been discriminatory because this increase in whites is not as great as it should be. Majority students should be looking for education and making it a priority. In addition, the statistic that 56% of undergraduate students were women. This was an eye opener that women clearly have the majority and the same, if not more, opportunity. How can one say that women still need affirmative action when they are substantially leading in numbers?  Asian discrimination was an aspect of affirmative action that had never crossed my mine. I had the biased belief that affirmative action allows Asians to “jump to the front of the line” without question, when it came to education. This belief has changed as I learned Asians are now held back because of their once substantial increase in numbers. Furthermore, I explored the question of legacy students, a practice that I originally never thought of as discriminatory. This practice seemed insignificant but it is clear that legacy students have an unfair advantage against many others, creating affirmative action “for the rich”. Looking at the history and practices of universities, I’ve seen the difference of quota and point systems. These practices greatly furthered my belief that affirmative action is unfair. I wrongly assumed that race would be a deciding factor, not a “right-off-the-bat” positive. I had the assumption that the system would be a little fairer, but apparently not. Doing research, I encountered a lot of bias. This came from both sides. For instance, many bloggers who are for affirmative action would name call and base claims simply on opinion. On the other hand, those against it would make claims that were discriminatory and were given without a logical argument against those who reap benefits of affirmative action. The indecisiveness of the Supreme Court showed be that affirmative action is more than a black and white issue. This is due to the school of thought that has several interpretations. I’ve seen that both sides due have an argument under the 14^th amendment. This is, like it or not, the law system we have in place in the U.S. Reagardless of how great it may be, it leaves space open for debate, a concept that creates issues such as affirmative action. Looking through the implications post, it’s clear that something must be done, or academia will suffer. Not just majority students, but knowledge in this country as a whole. This challenged by original thought that affirmative action was an issue simply because of its unfairness. This being said, I have to hope that those in power of various systems will see the need for an end and alter the policies in practice.

Crucial Links

 Here are links that I've used that have added credibility and depth to my argument.

Minorities in Higher Education

This link is highly significant because it is clear proof that affirmative action has worked, creating a significant increase of minorities in higher education. 

Grutter vs. Bollinger

This link describes the Gutter vs. Bollinger case of 2003 which gives insight to how the Supreme Court views affirmative action, a key player in who will decide the fate of affirmative action.

Asian American Issues

The link of above describes and shows the plight of Asian Americans, a particular group that is oppressed due to affirmative action policies.

Does the 14th Amendment Mandate Affirmative Action?

This particular link describes the school of thought behind affirmative action and how the equal rights amendment can be interpreted to support and oppose affirmative action policies.

Proposition 107

This link puts affirmative action into context with its current political debate by showing state plans to outlaw affirmative action.

To All The Girls I’ve Rejected

This link supports my argument that affirmative action, once again has made its mark and is clearly no longer needed as women are more than equally represented in higher education.

Should colleges stop legacy preferences in admissions?

This link sheds light on legacy students, the new aspect of affirmative action that allows alumni children preference in certain colleges.

Polls for anti affirmative action

This link shows the current view that Americans have on affirmative action, an important aspect as one considers the future of affirmative action.

NAACP

This link provides information from the other side of the argument, an important aspect when critically analyzing a debate.

*Correction* Implications Post

After review, I have realized my links are not on the implications post.

Here they are:

Link 42

Link 40 

Link 41

Check out these blogs!

Minorities in Education

This blog revolves around my topic as it discusses the challenges for minorities in education. This blog sheds light on some of the issues with our education system and the struggles that non-whites face. As I have said before, reform is needed once affirmative action has been banished. This blog discusses educational issues that were a cause for affirmative action initially and continue to contribute to the belief that affirmative action is necessary. 

Park 51

The Park 51 blog discusses the current debate over whether a mosque should be built near the site of the World Trade Centers and its memorial. This blog delves into the misconceptions behind the building of the site and how America views the Islam faith in relation to 9/11. Though this is unrelated to my topic on the outer level, I still find it quite interesting to analyze and debate the implications this building has had and will continue to have on the cultural views of America.

A Public Pariah, Muslim Americans

This blog discusses the post 9/11 view of Muslim Americans and how terrorism has affected this view. This blog looks deeper into the biases associated with Muslim Americans and sheds light on the injustices of the treatment. The blogger looks into the everyday challenges of Muslim Americans. This blog is highly interesting as it sparks debate over this current issue for America.

The oppression of men?

Affirmative action is often discussed in the context of minority races. Women are, for the most part, left out of the debate over affirmative action. Media sources disregard the aspect of the affects of affirmative action on women. Women too are included under the clause of affirmative action and should be regarded as such. Those in favor of affirmative action will argue that affirmative action is needed for women to prevent the glass ceiling effect. The glass ceiling refers to the idea that women are prevented from moving up in educational (or in general societal and career ) levels due to decades of discrimination and ideas related to gender. Affirmative action is claimed to allow women to gain equal access to opportunity and encourage the addition to women in higher education. However, the glass ceiling affect is not prevalent in higher institutions. It has been reported that 56% of undergraduate students nationwide are women. This evidence is clear that affirmative action has ran its course. It has done its job. Women are not only in, they're winning, so to speak. This statistic alone should be proof enough that this social policy is no longer needed.

To obtain this 56 %, I have to wonder that many male applicants may have been denied in the past simply because a lesser female applicant would create "gender diversity" for a campus. Though it is obvious males have historically dominated higher education, it is not fair to deny intelligent men the opportunity to explore the aspects of certain universities just because of their sex. Just because men discriminated against women at one point in time does not justify discriminating against men today. Higher education in this country is not only about individual gain but about societal gain in overall exploration and knowledge. Limiting the potential of our society by denying men creates a skewed reality of what educational advancement could be.

Implications Post

Analyzing the issues of affirmative action, I have found that the school of thought for the various sides of debate is the U.S. Constitution and what it means for its citizens. Both sides argue that affirmative action is either protected or not protected under the law. I have found that if the debate over affirmative action is not resolved, there will be implications that greatly affect the academic community of the future. If affirmative action is not stopped by policy, then there will continued increase in minority student’s acceptance into higher education, taking the place of qualified whites, and therefore lessening the ability of our academic society to grow to its potential. In other words, if whites are continued to be discriminated against then the academic world will not hold all of its higher thinkers and problem solvers. Some argue (link 42) that the end of affirmative action will end diversity in colleges, but what is diversity compared to high academic standards? If the U.S. wants to be competitive in academia and new technology, we must allow for qualifications to out shine race, otherwise the country will continue to fall behind competitors. With a continuation of affirmative action whites will continue (link40) to receive the blunt end of government assistance, keeping low income white families, low income.  Polls have shown (link 41) that many Americans are currently opposed to affirmative action, a clear indicator that if affirmative action continues there will be continued debate and uproar over affirmative action policies. Affirmative action must end, upholding the constitution, or equality will not exist for all citizens.

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