Ideafication

I see a lot of people that will talk about how affirmative action is a race-favoring thing (as it is) and then people will rebuttal with “It’s fighting the racism still in place today” (It’s true to some extent, though, they tend to be more insulting when they say it). At that point either that is that, the first person struggles to reply, or they get off track (as being insulting often leads to) on things like manners or privilege denial. (Here’s a link to a related comic.) For context clarity reasons, note that I take into consideration that the affirmative action programs are in place not only with the intent to combat racism today, but “give back” to people for mistakes of the past.

This is avoiding the underlining problem. Racism still exists, and we’re unable or unwilling to stop it.

A common specific rebuttal is that businesses can be/are racist and turn down minorities. This can be the case, but every time the government tries to regulate this sort of thing, racist asshats will find a way to get around it. Frankly, there isn’t an end to it without removing many freedoms, especially when businesses have a say in government roles. Racism isn’t beneficial to a business. A business that is open to minorities is much more likely to succeed. Some people just have the monetary padding to do such things. Sad, yes, but that’s all the potential that person has, unless they could have be changed on a personal level to be more accepting. We’ve already brought equality to the social atmosphere.

What do we do to fight this? A number of separate but “equal” things!

Problems with something like a minorities-only college fund: This can let minorities get into a class that has a racist teacher, causing them to not pass, get a lower grade than they would have, or be in a generally bad environment (and maybe they decide college isn’t for them because of it). It teaches minorities how to be successful in the field of their choice, but once they get to that field, they might not be hired, or they might get hired but not get the same pay. It allows minorities to learn, but doesn’t guarantee comparably equal success.

Problems with affirmative action driven job hiring: This can get a minority into a job despite the boss being a racist, but the boss is still a racist, and likely to look unfavorably on this person, especially now that the government forced them into their workplace. Some jobs may have openings but can’t accept “non-minorities”, which would fuel hate in the minds of some.

This is why minorities are frustrated with the current social structure, and why non-minorities are frustrated with these programs.

I think if a minorities-only small business investment fund had been started instead of a college fund, they would have been integrated into society much more. Minorities that operate businesses could compete with racist ones, beating them (as long as they provide a better product; not any government-aided way to shove inferior products into the market for the sake of “equality”). You don’t need to go to college to know how to run a business, and sometimes you don’t even need to get through high school (I’m not recommending these routes, just saying it’s possible). Even if a business fund wasn’t the answer, whatever the answer would be should have been a change catalyst, not something that is supposed to last forever.

Lastly, imagine the following: A country where every race is treated equally. Actually equally, in the sense that some businesses may have more non-minorities, but that’s okay, because other businesses make up for it (though, not with the intention of doing so). Suddenly, the government decides to give non-minorities a tax break, and give minorities more vacation days mandated by law. Now, no example is perfect, and you may see this as biased one way or another, but replace those two things with two different things of your choosing. Is it equal? On base value, it may appear so, but it is unfair treatment for both parties. Maybe some people aren’t interested in more vacation days, and a tax break may be more beneficial to certain people. It is not equal.

Minorities wanting equal rights and opportunities are legitimate, good concerns. Non-minorities wanting the same thing are, too. Treating either one of these wishes as inferior ones only brings us further from our goal.

More from Ideafication

• Emotional Leadership: The Artist Versus The Philosopher
• Wants, Needs, and a Mix of Both
• Does Affirmative Action Really Work?

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