Why Affirmative Action no longer works

Affirmative Action refers to providing equal access to education for groups that have been historically excluded. Today, people are more divided by income and social classes rather than race. For this reason, Affirmative Action would be irrelevant to take into account. I agree that it's a pleasant idea to make up for the mistakes of the past, but by dwelling in the past one can make the same mistakes. In the past, African Americans, a minority group were mistreated and frowned upon. Through Affirmative Action, they would have more privileges. On the other hand, that deprives the whites of opportunities. To use Affirmative Action in the most appropriate manner, everyone should be given the same terms. For instance, when taking a sat exam, provide everyone with the same prep program. (Ngayu put forth this idea) Without these considerations, a person in a higher social class might be at an advantage when affording prep programs. Whereas a person in a lower class, won't be able to afford such programs. As stated before, African Americans were pushed around, just by putting them first doesn't erase the past, David Frum says, “You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race”(Lines 9-10) One can’t make assumptions that African Americans would be pleased with the system because they may feel pitied.  

Another case can be eliminating the use of Affirmative Action. A person performance isn't determined by the color of their skin. It's similar to saying, “Don't judge a book by its cover” because someone's ability to do a task shouldn't be labeled by skin color. Affirmative action serves no justice when people are being judged by race, ethnicity, national origin, and sex “Affirmative action has severed its connection to the deepest wrong in American history and effloresced into a system whereby citizens are bestowed or denied preferences or benefits according to a complex hierarchy of race”(lines 30-34). Frum expands by stating, factors besides characteristics shouldn’t be considered when deciding life choices such as colleges and jobs.

  Lastly, the use of Affirmative Action can diminish over time because the rate of intermarriages has increased, “ one in six Americans now marries a person outside hit or her own ethnicity race”, as the number of intermarriage increase, the use of Affirmative Action can slowly diminish. This can prove Affirmative Action to be a difficult task to accomplish with everyone being so distinct.