• undefined_one@beehaw.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    I don’t understand why this is a problem. The most qualified candidates should be accepted, regardless of their race - period. Deserving whites shouldn’t get dismissed because a less qualified person of color got that spot. But that’s how it has been in both college acceptance and the workplace. Equality isn’t just for POC - it’s for everyone.

    • jaw@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      1 year ago

      The concern isn’t equality, it’s moreso equity. Historically, minorities have suffered systemic efforts that have limited their ability to pursue higher education for a variety of socio-economic reasons. Despite many of those systemic efforts having been thwarted with time, many minority populations’ socio-economic status as a whole still suffers when compared to those of White populations.

      These minority populations unquestionably have fewer opportunities (in a multitude of ways) to pursue higher education, and so Affirmative Action helps to destroy some of those barriers and help provide an equitable way to facilitate this – to help level the playing field that’s been dominated by White populations for as long as the country has existed.

      Is it a perfect solution? No. Do deserving applicants who would otherwise have been accepted maybe not get their top choice? Yes. But on a population scale, this was probably a good thing. Now we’re back to “equality” which for the past however many years didn’t exist, and the people who were lower before, continue to suffer the consequences.

    • MuffinMangler@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      I agree, that’s how it should work, but unfortunately it doesn’t. What happens is that minorities don’t get accepted in no matter how qualified they are because the people reviewing applicants are bigoted.

      Also, candidates don’t have a single “power level” representing their worthiness. Among the candidates who are sufficiently qualified, what makes someone more qualified is of great subjectivity. Like, one candidate might have more work experience, but the other gets along with the team better.

      Affirmative action wasn’t perfect and was never meant to last forever, but it was good enough for the time being.