tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3133078502277941061.post3319598824678782246..comments2023-07-18T08:00:22.009-05:00Comments on Steinblog: Affirmative Action PolicyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3133078502277941061.post-68055496197511231362016-07-31T17:37:07.513-05:002016-07-31T17:37:07.513-05:00I don't think people who advocate for affirmat...I don't think people who advocate for affirmative action think that skin color is the true determining factor for preferential treatment. I think they see race as something that highly correlates with other societal factors and issues that might be worth compensating for.<br /><br />We often hear studies about those with "black sounding names" versus "white sounding names" having less of a chance at being interviewed. There are also many statistics about racial inequalities in education, income, etc.<br /><br />The most favorable way I can put the affirmative action argument is to say that people who have something working against them deserve help, and we can often find those who have things working against them by using race as a proxy. If this is the case, then the skin color itself isn't what matters; rather, it is the fact that skin color is associated with many other things that might be determining factors in who should receive preferential treatment.Tim Heinzelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3133078502277941061.post-79475900036937039922016-07-31T14:50:19.448-05:002016-07-31T14:50:19.448-05:00This is another RGB 0,0,0 guy speaking here. I un...This is another RGB 0,0,0 guy speaking here. I understand and agree that in a completely theoretical world with universal laws and no prior history there would be no place for affirmative action. BUT (needed to be all caps), our society doesn't resemble this aforementioned perfectly functional society.<br /><br /> Instead we live in a country with institutionalized racism to the highest degree. This isn't just about unarmed black people being shot in the streets, this is about institutions applying unequal economic pressures racially. Examples would include the banking industry (subprime loaning was racially targeted), policing zones and fines (the effects of police fines on low income neighborhoods are devastating), direct executive action (drug war has been targeted racially, Iran Contra Scandal), the list goes on. These economic pressures act as a positive feedback loop where it becomes increasingly unlikely for communities under such pressures to succeed.<br /><br />Affirmative Action comes in to play to directly target these practices. When an individual is attacked by another we hold the perpetrators responsible. Why is it different when a group of individuals is attacked by another group? These economic pressures are modern, not a thing of the past, and they largely are targeted based on skin color. Why wouldn't the remedy of the problem be based on the same lines? <br /><br />To address your concerns directly. Affirmative Action is not discrimination, it is a series of reparations for present wrong doings. Affirmative Action does not undermine merit, an individual has to meet the standards for the position they are applying for. Furthermore if one has an easier time garnering achievements than another, how is that deserving of greater merit in the first place? <br /> Charlie Spaldingnoreply@blogger.com