Blog Post 3

Affirmative action creates reverse racism. Discuss. 

Affirmative action is defined as an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, especially in relation to employment or education. Affirmative action does not create reverse racism but rather tries to provide equal opportunity for those who would have been systematically denied. Affirmative action is usually used for minorities who are not given the same opportunities to succeed and many people who are against affirmative action label it as a way for jobs or schools to accept people who are not "qualified" enough and therefore, produces reverse racism. However, I believe that reverse racism doesn't even exist. Racism comes from a superior group of people using their power and privilege to oppress minorities systematically. Therefore, attempts to rectify systematic injustices (affirmative action) are not examples of reverse racism. People who believe in reverse racism and are against affirmative action (mostly white population) are privileged enough to believe that they are more deserving and qualified for influential positions in society than any other minority race. The problem is that there has been centuries of injustice experienced by people of color and therefore, have resulted in underrepresentation of people of color in these settings: settings that show power and can produce success. The goal of affirmative action is to ensure that people of color are not negatively affected by racial bias in admissions and/or hiring decisions. People of color are not admitted or hired “over white people" when affirmative action is used. Rather, they are considered equally, with the possibility of subconscious bias to influence the decisions made by people in power, whom are usually white.