The human quest for individuality has been the motivating force behind mankind's rise to new heights; furthermore, the struggle to differentiate oneself from others, in the pursuit of greatness, has led to racism: the discrimination against a person or group based on race, religion, or creed to limit their advancement. This act of tearing down a group of people based on insecurities is as fundamentally flawed as using affirmative action to redress those wrongs.
Those with racist beliefs might hate certain groups according to their religion, spoken language, or place of birth. As in the case of one soldier for the United States Army who used the Qur’an, Islam’s holy book, for target practice in Iraq during May of 2008. This offense, called an oversight by the shooter was meant to be harmless, even though, the bullet-riddled Qur’an was marked with a target and had an expletive strew across one of its pages. This form of racism, although passive by nature, is no less harmful than that of institutional racism, which suppresses certain groups through propaganda, denying benefits based on a belief system or racial differences.
What may seem to be a significant racial difference, such as, the coarseness of hair, facial structure, or the color of skin is not an overly distinguishing factor according to the scientific community. In fact, the genetic differences that make our appearance unique are less significant than those that make us similar. In the Book, In My Father’s House: Africa in the philosophy of Culture by Kwame Anthony Appiah the author writes, "There are few genetic characteristics to be found in the population of England that are not found in similar proportions in Zaire or in China..." Not only does this statement recognize our common tread, but also it reveals a world Bob Marley envisioned when he sang, “One love, one heart. Let's get together and feel all right."
Despite our similarities, racism prevails. In 1961, President Kennedy introduced affirmative action as a plan meant to right the wrongs that persisted in spite of civil rights laws; however, it was not implemented until after President Johnson’s 1965 commencement address at Howard University .
Affirmative action, which focuses primarily on employment and educational programs, ensure minorities enjoy benefits like school admission, financial aid, scholarship options, salary advancement, and the opportunity to grow within a company, which in the past had been predominantly reserved for Caucasians. From its inception, affirmative action was envisioned as a temporary panacea meant to create an equal opportunity for all Americans.
The opponents of affirmative action say it devalues personal accomplishment because candidates are chosen based on the social group they are apart of as opposed to their qualifications. In addition, supporters of affirmative action are not fighting to end racial discrimination, they are demanding racial discrimination be legalized and enforced. Apparently, they want to ignore equality by proclaiming skin color should be the primary consideration.
As a result, the Caucasian male is more likely to be denied employment or educational benefits because of his grandfather’s actions, regardless of whether his grandfather practiced such beliefs. Times have changed, for it is no longer the oppressor but the once oppressed that demand racial quotas.
Fortunately for Americans, we live in a country protected by the First Amendment right, which protects the freedom of expression for all Americans. The basis behind the right is not only accepting what you agree with, but also that which you disagree with too. No doctrine, no matter how morally contemptible, can be forbidden by law; however, two wrongs do not make a right. Therefore, affirmative action should have no place in our society as a means to combat racism. Edwin A. Locke said it best, “You cannot cure racism with more racism."
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