I strongly support affirmative action, including quotas if necessary. However, I recognize negative social trends that indirectly come from affirmative action as it is currently implemented. First, there is the problem of having a "token woman" or "token minority" among a group of white males. Women and minorities given such a position because of a quota are often treated with disrespect and given no real power. Another problem is that when a woman or a minority achieves something without affirmative action, they are often presumed to have been helped by the government, which demeans their accomplishments and results in the same disrespect I described above. Finally, there is the false perception on a larger scale among some whites and some males that women and minorities are given a "free pass" (ignoring the legitimate reasons for affirmative action), which often leads to a new kind of prejudice. I absolutely support affirmative action even though I will never personally benefit from it (I am a white male), so I'm not trying to debate whether or not affirmative action should exist. Instead, I want to understand how the above and other unintentional problems related to affirmative action can be solved while keeping affirmative action in tact. I appreciate all replies. Thank you very much.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

I really don't think affirmative action can work. This is a cultural battle. Politics only complicates it.

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"Man lives in the sunlit world of that which he believes to be reality. But unseen by most is an underworld, a place that is just as real... but not as brightly lit... A DARK SIDE!"
-opening from Tales From the Darkside

To me, the issue is not so much making up for past discrimination (though that is very important) as it is fighting current discrimination. Women can't prove that they are just as capable of leadership as men if the men who currently hold power believe that they are not and so don't give them true equal opportunity. African Americans can't fight the false stereotype that they are lazy if they are not given work because of racism. The power structure has to be altered fundamentally to eliminate these stereotypes, but I want it to be in a way that doesn't lead to new kinds of prejudice.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

Urban development and dissipation of the ghettos is more important to helping poor minorities. Women are not having much trouble these days that anything like affirmative action will fix. Rather if women are to achieve economic equity, they need to take interest in math and science. They're already doing well in administrative jobs and catching up in government. They don't need laws to compete.

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"Man lives in the sunlit world of that which he believes to be reality. But unseen by most is an underworld, a place that is just as real... but not as brightly lit... A DARK SIDE!"
-opening from Tales From the Darkside

Affirmative action is counter-productive to any attempt to foster a color-blind society. It separates people into categories, and encourages everyone to think only in terms of those categories. We focus on race quotas and disregard the individual.

The problem is that our society is not color blind with or without affirmative action. Racism is still a severe and widespread blight on our society.

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"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

AA is destructive to everyone. People should be judged on their abilities. Employers who hold racist or biased views are only hurting themselves, and their companies will fail. Any company worth their salt will hire the best people, period!

First you have to look at the reason it was created, next you must figure out if it has helped the people it was designed to help, then u must figure out if there is still a need for it and lastly, if it is still needed then how do u improve on it. Peace.

But you see, as Merlin said, AA perpetuates the existence of race in legislature. While it might have helped a little in the short term as far as diffusing minorities into higher classes (though most of it was actually individual effort), it has done a lot more to create resentment and force companies to consider race who mmay not have initially.
Racism is frustrating because it exists whether we ignore or confront it. But it does seem to be decreasing over time as we destroyed racist legislation and as different races intermingle in the workplace, school, and community. Legislation as we have now forces us to continue looking at race for hiring and enrollment and thus gets in the way.
Vouchers for poor kids in ghettos and economic development in urban areas would help to diffuse populations in a less racist way.

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"Man lives in the sunlit world of that which he believes to be reality. But unseen by most is an underworld, a place that is just as real... but not as brightly lit... A DARK SIDE!"
-opening from Tales From the Darkside

Take hiring out of private hands and make AA unnecessary.

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What's this i hear bed? Word has it you and Pam are sleeping together.