The Affirmative Action Debate

1. The Affirmative Action Debate PSYC 542 - Intro to Testing Thomas Blashaw, Leslie Frassel and Fatima Coley Vs. Michelle Young, Cristina Collazo, Ed Cruz and Melissa Guzman

2. What is Affirmative Action? • Affirmative action is the idea proposed by legislature of creating equality to racial minorities and women in the hiring process of jobs, giving awards, or deciding who to admit to college. • It means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in employment education, and business from which they have been excluded. • It arose out of the desire to bring minority groups into institutions and professions that have traditionally been dominated by white men. • First appeared after the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s in an attempt to accompany the new legal equality gained for minorities.

3. So why the controversy? • Because the process of affirmative action involves preferential selection, that is selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity, it generates much controversy on whether it really is beneficial or not for the under-represented and whether it gives preference or equality. • So lets take a look at the pro side of affirmative action…

4. The Pro Side • 1. Standardized testing are racially, culturally, and gender biased. Until recently, most standardized tests were made for White males. These tests are discriminatory towards minorities and women who on average do more poorly than white males. Therefore, we need affirmative action in order to counteract the discrimination from entrance exams. • 2. Economically, affirmative action helps the underprivileged with education and jobs that they otherwise would not have access to because of their circumstances.

5. Continued… • 3. Affirmative action prevents the world from turning into “survival of the fittest’ where the upper-class white men go to college, have nice jobs, and rule the entire country. • 4. Affirmative action allows for more equal opportunity in education and employment for those who are discriminated against. Not all education is equal. On average, minorities go to poorer schools with poorer educations and therefore are at a disadvantage.

6. Continued… • 5. It is a way of letting the world know that we need equality. If we had equality among all humans, then we wouldn’t need affirmative action.

7. Now the Con Side… • 1. Tests are biased but these biases are based on resource allocation differences and not racial differences. In addition, the population sample has widened, increasing the generalizability, thus, decreasing bias. Tests are also designed to discriminate and predict. • 2. Affirmative action does very little to help those inner-city kids whose problems are now the largest cause of racial inequality. The “underprivileged” may also include Whites of poverty who are also denied a good education. Inequality is not strictly limited to race or ethnicity but may include other factors, such as social class. The economic effects on business and corporations could be devastating. Hiring personnel based solely on race and not qualifications may decrease a business’ productivity and efficiency.

8. Continued… • 3. In considering the “survival of the fittest” view, race should not be a factor to take into consideration because it is out of a person’s control. Also, in an academic community, diversity of opinion rather than of race is more advantageous. Preferential treatment based on race, an external characteristic, does not enhance other people’s perspectives.

9. Continued… • 4. Yes education is unequal and will always remain that way because of the prevailing social hierarchy. The problem with admitting students or hiring employees on this basis is that they will be ill-equipped to handle the school or jobs they have been admitted to. Lowering the standard to a minority quota will not allow those who are qualified because of their skills and abilities be able to get the job or get admitted to a particular college.

10. Continued… • 5. Inequality is not limited to race and gender. Negative perceptions of others gaining a position because of race or gender and not their qualifications may perpetuate inequality and hostility by non- target group members.

11. And the Pro Side continues… • 1. If standardized testing is based solely on "Resource Allocation" or social-economic status, then is it just a coincidence that several studies, published and non-published, of the SAT have shown scoring patterns that favor white males. In review of several forms of the SAT and the scores of the students, each one showed non-Hispanic white males out scoring African Americans and Hispanics.

12. No. 1 Continued: • Are we to suppose that all white families in general have more "resource allocation" then both African Americans and Hispanics? And if so then that further proves the advantages of Affirmative Action. If the SAT and other standardized test are biased on economic status, and from test scores it would appear that African American and Hispanic ethnicity's have low scores suggesting low resource allocation, then Affirmative Action is definitely needed in order to provide the students from low-income homes with the same opportunities as students from high-income families.

13. No. 2 Rebuttal • Affirmative Action is a tremendous help to inner-city people. It gives them an opportunity to do something and go somewhere that they probably wouldn’t be able to. Also, it is possible that whites of poverty are denied education, but they are not denied education because of their race, they are denied because of their SES. There is so much financial aid now-a-days that any poor white could go to school if they wanted to.

14. No. 3 Rebuttal • 3. If race is not a factor to take into consideration, then what is? Race has everything to do with diversity of opinion. Different races hold different opinions because they have had different experiences. If you want diversity of opinion, then you need diversity of people.

15. No. 4 Rebuttal • 4. Con side said, “education will always remain unequal because of the prevailing social hierarchy.” You are right, if affirmative action is not done, the social hierarchy will prevail. There is a way to make education equal and the hierarchy equal. So, why wouldn’t you want to do this. It will not always remain this way if affirmative action is implemented.

16. No. 4 continued: • Also, Affirmative Action does not mean that you have to hire any anonymous minority person for a job. Affirmative Action means that you will give the minority equal consideration as all others. It only means that you have to give them the same opportunity as their white counterparts. Therefore, Affirmative Action does not hire or accept “ill-equipped” people.

17. No. 5 Rebuttal • It is ridiculous to think that after over 200 years of racial discrimination, we can instantly bridge the social-economic gaps between minorities and whites by simply banishing racial discrimination. I quote President Lyndon Johnson: "It is not enough to just open the gates of opportunity...we seek not just equality as a right and theory, but equality as fact and equality as a result."

18. No. 5 Continued: • Because of the years of discrimination against minorities, they have been denied many opportunities to advance in social and economic status, which are basic rights of every citizen in the United States. As a result, this has put minorities at an obvious disadvantage in society. It is the nation's duty to make sure all persons of all races have the same opportunities, and in order to make up for all the years of discrimination, we must find ways to promote equality through programs aimed at assisting and bridging the gaps of racial discrimination and inequality.

19. But the Con side fights back… • 1. As stated before, the issue is not with race but with social class…money! White families do have higher SES than Black and Latino families, yet there is a fallacy to your argument. According to the US 2000 census, Asian-Americans had overall higher per capita earnings than their white-counterparts. In addition, a consensus taken at the University of California Berkeley (1998) showed that Asian-Americans also had higher SAT scores, high school GPA and higher college acceptance and graduation than all other races overall, these data support that inequality should be dealt by funds not by race. Yet, AA gives preference to race rather than address this issue of resources.

20. No. 1 Continued… • In UC Berkeley, Asian and White students were found to have high SAT scores and H.S GPA, whereas Black and Latino Students had lower cut-off scores that determined their acceptance in order to “promote diversity”. AA would be a good, valid program if in fact it increased the availability of resources however this is not what it does. AA would either need to make resources equally available to equally unavailable, but not emphasize discrimination on the basis of race. The information gathered from Asian-Americans directly contradicts the primary argument for affirmative action

21. No. 2 Rebuttal • 2. If there is “so much financial aid now-a-days” then poor whites are not the only group that could benefit from this “financial aid”. Other groups, if they wanted, could benefit from not only need based aid, but from merit- based scholarships if they truly desired a good education. But biased programs like affirmative action have been shown to perpetuate feelings of inadequacy leading to decreased motivation. If a person is not motivated, how will they succeed in higher education, let alone receive a merit-based scholarship.

22. No. 2 Continued… • Inner city children need other programs that will stop the problem of inequality at the root. Many are being led astray by drugs and gangs. Affirmative action is not a solution to these problems. It continues the cycle of inequality. Instead the focus should be on programs such as mentoring, which build up their esteem and motivation.

23. No. 3 Rebuttal… • 3. Race is actually an external characteristic that is out of a person’s control. In fact, racial diversity does not necessarily lead to diversity of opinion. Different people have different opinions, interests, and experiences, regardless of their race. Besides, lowering academic standards for minorities and women is condescending and demeaning. Affirmative action assumes that minorities and women cannot achieve higher standards on their own. Also, having different standards may breed hostility between races.

24. No. 4 Rebuttal… • 4.Ok, yes, the goal is to have equal opportunity for all. However, implementing affirmative action sets a minority quota which has to be followed. This is still not right because it may be that those, for example, that could have been exceptionally qualified for a job coincidently are all white males. This would have a negative impact on the company’s performance. All races can apply for a job or school but we cannot use people’s race as the means of selection. It is practically racism all over again. There is no standard saying saying you can only get into this school or get that job if you are white. It’s about skills, abilities, knowledge, and merits.

25. No. 4 continued… • Secondly, if poverty is what prevents minorities from getting into good schools that provide good education, then the solution is to give those that are qualified, (those that have the skills, knowledge, and merit) more aid. Don’t base it on race. Base it on the skills and knowledge they possess. All they need is economic help.

26. No. 5 Rebuttal… • 5. Programs like affirmative action deny economic and social advancement what was quoted as “the basic right of every citizen in the U.S.”“Studies by Heilman and her colleagues show that both males and females tend to assume that females hired under affirmative action programs are relatively less competent” (1990). Furthermore, studies show that affirmative action decreases motivation and interest in the workplace because psychological feelings of inadequacy are perpetuated.

27. No. 5 Continued… • If others assume that people who gained a position because of affirmative action are less competent, there will be not only hostility in the workplace, but chances to climb up the hierarchy in the workplace will be denied.

28. So is Affirmative action good or bad? • What’s your opinion?…