President Kennedy and Affirmative Action

It is an undeniable fact that many groups in the world are of a disadvantaged nature. Over the course of history, unfairness has spread far and wide in the forms of slavery, discrimination, war, and conquest. Unfortunately, rectifying these issues in a modern age is no easy task. Although in present day American society we have abolished slavery, given all races and genders the opportunity to vote, and eliminated restrictions on who can receive an education, it is extremely difficult for some to generationally climb out of the pit of injustice. As a result of this historical discrimination, many human beings are placed in a disadvantaged state economically. At the same time; however, there are many of an economically disadvantaged state whose ancestors have never received discrimination, as well as affluent families whose ancestors have. Affirmative action, also known as positive discrimination, was part of an executive order signed by President Kennedy in the 1960s as a solution to problems faced only by the former group. Ultimately, affirmative action is an injustice in itself that causes more problems than it hinders. In my essay, I plan to deconstruct three common arguments for affirmative action while providing two decent arguments against it. Affirmative action is supposed to positively discriminate instead of negatively, but it is possible to create a system without discrimination at all.

The first common argument in favor of affirmative action is one that states reparations are required for those who have received negative consequences of past discrimination and injustice. According to this argument, those who belong to any disadvantaged group that has been affected by discrimination in the past deserve reparations in t...

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...oor white male individual that needs assistance this very moment would be denied that position or award, simply because of his racial background. In this way, affirmative action creates some of the very same discrimination that it seeks to curb.

Overall, I am arguing that affirmative action policies cause a significant more amount of harm than they hinder. These policies are wholly arbitrary, lack common reason, and create discrimination while simultaneously trying to eliminate it. They additionally encourage mediocrity while attempting to award less competent individuals over more competent ones. The diversity affirmative action policies try to promote could easily manifest itself naturally, but is instead forced where it need not be. If western society is going to have any hope of eradicating discrimination, it need not be promoted in any form, even positively.