The Illustrious Chronus Department

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Recommended: Affirmative action and its role in modern world

The illustrious Chronus Department is a (hypothetical) branch of the Federal Government which analyzes past incidents to determine their particular impact upon current matters. This department is currently seeking to hire a new recruit for training in a recently developed program, where the employee will work to eventually become the department's director. The prospect would ideally have a degree in the humanities field concerning history, culture, and research. It is also vital that the candidate exhibit the ability to work well with others in a leadership role. The position includes an enviable benefits package, complete with vacations, healthcare, and a pension. After conducting interviews and reviewing the relevant information, the Chronus Department hones in on two potential options. They are both quite suitable for the opportunity.

Take note of Molly, an African-American woman from an upper-class and politically involved Texan family. She earned an undergraduate degree in Anthropology with a minor in US Civics from Yale University. After she graduated, Molly volunteered for two years in the Peace Corps before taking a year to explore Europe. Also up for consideration is Cameron, a third generation Irish-American from a working class Pennsylvanian family. After high school he spent a year working with his father in a steel mill before deciding to go to university. He then received a scholarship to Princeton, eventually graduating with a degree in US History. Cameron was elected Student Body President in his final year of school and established a union for the teaching assistants.

Since both applicants are so well qualified, the department is having difficulty determining which one of them should receive the job, especia...

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... discriminatory practices were directed against blacks as a group. ...Preferential treatment programs are meant to offset the disadvantages imposed by racism so that Blacks are not forced to bear the principal costs of that error. ...To condemn policies meant to correct for racial barriers as themselves erecting barriers is to ignore the difference between action and reaction, cause and effect, aggression and self-defense...”. He concludes by stating that “Affirmative action is directed toward empowering those groups that have been adversely affected by past and present exclusionary practices. Initiatives to abolish preferential treatment would inflict a grave injustice on African Americans, for they signal a reluctance to acknowledge that the plight of African Americans is the result of institutional practices that require institutional responses. (Pg.218) [10/12]

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