Becaureful who you vote for, don't let a speech blindside you

Affirmative Action and Laissez-Faire Racism

According to Walter Allen, affirmative action is an equal opportunity program that was widely implemented from 1965 to 1994. The program was designed to assist minorities and women in educational and career opportunities. Although the affirmative action program is primarily associated with the black community, it has been white females who have benefited most from the program noting significant gains in all areas of education, employment, and contracting.^[13] Affirmative action has come under intense scrutiny for the past decade by those who don’t see a need for the program, often calling it reverse racism, that seeks to punish white people for the crimes of their ancestors. The color-blind ideals would make affirmative action unnecessary because it is based on the idea that we live in a society where race is neither acknowledged nor important. Color-blind enthusiasts often use the idea of meritocracy to oppose affirmative action programs. However, according to Dei, these ideas fail to accept the long history of racism that has left its imprint on the lives and opportunities of minorities in the United States. Many people who express the laissez-faire attitude towards racism oppose affirmative action; on the grounds it highlights racial differences in society when we should focus on making America more colorblind. These people assert that they believe in equal rights for minorities, but frown upon minorities who use these programs to get ahead.^[14]

1. ^ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/affirmative-action/
2. ^ Walter R. Allen, Robert Teranishi, Gniesha Dinwiddie and Gloria Gonzalez. The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 69, No. 1/2, Knocking at Freedom's Door: Race, Equity, and Affirmative Action in U.S. Higher Education (Winter - Spring, 2000), pp. 3-11.