is affirmative action necessary?

I agree, discrimination, whether negative or positive is still discrimination and with that, someone is going to gain, and someone else is going to lose but not because of something each person has achieved (like in your own example). This inbalance is what causes negative feeling in people as I think everyone want to play on a level playing field to the best we possibly can.

I can't comment for anyone else but I think I would feel insulted to be given special treatment for things that bear no reference to my abilities to do the job that I have applied for.

Here in the UK, the police force have used positive discrimination to improve it's poor image, as there was widely reported evidence of institutional racism. For this I think it can be good, as a short term means to gain the public's confidence. But if used long term I think it will cause more harm than good.

It may surprise some here to learn I never supported Affirmative Action. I have not fought against most of these programs in the past because I understood the reasons many people fought so hard for them and I've seen some good results. In the end, however, the ends should not justify the means. If we want societies built on freedom and justice for all, we cannot make the guidelines for admission/promotion/reward based even partly on "what" we are. Who we are, what we've done, and our potential from there, should be judged as if blind in 99% of life's situations.

I agree with your statements. I completey disagree with discrimination, but I to am a first generation four year college grad who happens to be white and my feeling is at this point, laws which outlaw disrimination are needed. Haveing said this, laws which encourage discrimination are not, and this is what I think affirmative action is now.

I've always thought of affirmative action as an insult to the people who are receiving it. To me it's like saying, "you're not good enough or smart enough to do it on your own, so we're going to have to help you." I also think it gives the minorities an incentive not to work hard. Why should they if they know affirmative action will do the work for them. I do believe, though, that we have reached a point were we're more color blind than we used to be, and affirmative action is no longer necessary.

Affirmative action is racist. It's the purest form of racism out there.

Quoting from the Constitution:
"
Article 9 (2) of the Constitution states: "Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights and freedoms. To promote the achievement of equality, legislative and other measures designed to protect or advance persons, or categories of persons, disadvantaged by unfair discrimination may be taken."

So we've got a policy that states you must hire the black man or the black woman even if they aren't qualified to make sure that the races are balanced out in the work place. That's like telling a white person to sit on the back of the bus and if someone more important comes along, who cares. Hoof it!

Everyone knows it's racist except those who benefit from it.

I'm a democrat. I believe in equality. Time for us to fight for it, period. No special rights. No tolerance for those who want them or who try to use racial bigotry for their decisions. ENOUGH. EQUALITY.

Affirmative action is just racial prejudice that society accepts. It's reverse discrimination against white males.

i think that there are still minor pockets in our society where there is some reservation required for the minority classes. otherwise, by and large we have reached a state where we can rid ourselves of this kind of a discrimination.

I think that affirmative action should be abolished because now that we have an African-American president, what need does this country have for affirmative action? I can see no need for it. I think that education should be equal for all, and that no one should get any special treatment. Everyone should be judge based on what they can do, what their skills are, and what their talents are. I am sick of this "I am a minority, so I should get treated better than everyone else" junk. I work, I go to college, and I got a scholarship based on my grades, not on my race. Enough is enough. There should be no more special treatment in this country. We all want a country that is fair and equal right? Well then, let's show other countries that we are fair and equal.