Essay on Affirmative Action A Road to Discrimination and...

Affirmative Action: A Road to Discrimination and Prejudice Affirmative action: these words bring to mind many different things to many different people. To some it is a leveler of the playing field and a right for past injustices, but to others it is a tool used to cause reverse discrimination and continues prejudices. Affirmative action was born into a time when our country was attempting to provide equality for all and was only intended to be a temporary measure to bring about this equality into areas where it had been lacking. Now almost forty years later this temporary measure known as affirmative action is still being used and has in the most part failed to bring about the equality it was supposed to. Instead, we have today a†¦show more content†¦From this beginning one can see that affirmative action was too narrow in scope to ever actually level the playing field or to make up for past injustices to all without discriminating against some. The main focus of affirmative action was on education and employment. It required that measures be used to ensure that minorities and women be given the same opportunities for promotions, salary increases, career advancements, school admissions, scholarships, and financial aid that all others were given (Brummer, 2003), but originally did not state how this was to be accomplished. By 1970, the federal government had established regulations which required affirmative action through goals and timetables. While unintended in conception, in practice, these too often encouraged preferential treatment for members of one group over members of another. Ultimately affirmative action became based on preferential treatment in the form of quotas and other efforts that made race and gender the determining factors in many aspects of employment and admission to colleges (Wilson, 1995, p. 111). Here lies the root problem with affirmative action in that it causes a new form of discrimination to exis t. Overtime, it has become apparent that affirmative action has exacted a price from its beneficiaries, that is often higher than the supposed rewards that affirmative action was to give, the success of affirmative action was based on its appeal to our heritageShow MoreRelatedEssay on History and Opinions on the Policy of Affirmative Action1725 Words   |  7 Pagestime racism, prejudice, and discrimination has existed. Through the years, society has come a long way in dealing with this everlasting problem; however, the problem still lives in todays world. It affects who we are and where we will go in our life. So if racism can so dramatically alter our life, one might question what can be done to cease this unfair practice? One solution, or rather method to equal out the past inequalities African American and other minorities, is Affirmative Action. The basicRead MoreIs Affirmative Action Fair1826 Words   |  8 PagesInformal Logic Is Affirmative Action Fair? Brian Addis August 23, 2010 Is Affirmative Action Fair? Affirmative action was created to increase the number of people from certain social groups in employment, education, business, government, and other areas (LaNoue, G., 2010). This policy is geared toward women, and minorities such as African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, and disabled people. Generally speaking, Affirmative Action was put intoRead MoreCultural Perspectives On Cultural Diversity977 Words   |  4 Pagesanything or anyone that they simply cannot understand. Essentialism, supports stereotype prejudice, psychologically embedding the thoughts and ideas of these prejudices engrained into the psyche of the individual, making these stereotype prejudice a core value (Bastian, Haslam, 2006). â€Å"People essentialize emotion categories by assuming that members of the same category† behave in the same manner, fostering a prejudice against people (Lindquist, Gendron, Oosterwijk, Barrett, 2013). The psychologicalRead More The E ffects that Affirmative Action Has Had on Past and Future Endeavors of Minorities in the United States2847 Words   |  12 PagesAfrican Americans. That equalizer is affirmative action. Affirmative action is a policy or a program that seeks to redress past discrimination through active measures to ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment. In addition to providing equal opportunity, affirmative action also serves as a form of reparation for the actions by white America in the past. With the advancement of African Americans in this society, some argue that affirmative action actually is a way to declare inferiorityRead MoreThe Civil Rights Act and the South2391 Words   |  10 Pageslate-twentieth-century American demographic and policy changes. Continuing high immigration, discrimination, and officially designated affirmative-action minority groups will ensure that if the twentieth century has the problem of the color line, the twenty-first will have the problem of color lines. In 1964, Congress passed and President Lyndon Johnson proudly signed the Civil Rights Act. The law was intended to prevent discrimination in a assortment of spheres of life, including public accommodations (TitleRead MoreEssay about Racial Profiling by Police is an Unjust Practice 805 Words   |  4 Pagesorg/publications/reports/racial_profiling/what_is.html/a). This means that under any such program, more African-Americans would be pulled over for random traffic stops and drug/weapon searches, more middle-eastern-Americans would be monitored in government buildings for terrorist action, and more Hispanic-Americans would be followed and watched for gang activity. This same article has over ten different detailed accounts from individuals of minorities that all have a story to tell about how racial profiling singled them out as lawRead MoreEducation In Richard Rodriguezs The Hunger Of Memory977 Words   |  4 PagesRichard Rodriguez, the author of â€Å"The Hunger of Memory,â €  is a Mexican man who rose above prejudices to become a distinguished member of society through education. Sherman Alexie, the author of â€Å"Superman and Me,† is a Native American man who grew up on an Indian reservation with a love of books and a penchant for learning in an attempt to exceed further than the predetermined path set in front of him. Rodriguez perceives education as something that has built a division between him and his family butRead MoreAnalysis Of Richard Rodriguezs Hunger Of Memory1003 Words   |  5 PagesRichard Rodriguez, the author of Hunger of Memory, is a Mexican man who rose above prejudices to become a distinguished member of society through education. Sherman Alexie, the author of â€Å"Superman and Me,† is a Native American man who grew up on an Indian reservation with a love of books and a penchant for learning in an attempt to exceed further than the predetermined path set in front of him. Rodriguez perceives education as someth ing that has built a division between him and his family but allowedRead MoreWorldwide Telecommunications1024 Words   |  5 PagesThousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications, Retrieved November 18, 2006 from: http://informationr.net/ir/reviews/revs227.html Connerley and Pedersen discuss issues that may arise on a day to day basis. The story describes how you can be aware of discrimination, stereotype, and diversity. People of many natures, origins, cultures, and background tend to work with each other and before to long, someone is discriminated against because they are different in some way. These others explain how you canRead MoreAffirmative Action is Ineffective2890 Words   |  12 Pageslimitless opportunity available and equal for all? For years Affirmative Action has tried to level the laying field, but its black field workers are still being oppressed. It is evident that Affirmative action is ineffective with the differences in the number of employed blacks compared to whites and their difficulties to get and keep a job, blacks repetition in society has been tarnished due to stereotypes, and blacks face hidden discrimination. Allover America people are loosing their jobs and

None Essay Paper Example For Students

None Essay Paper Al Capone is one of the most recognized names in American history. Alphonse was born to Neapolitan immigrants Gabriel and Teresa. His surname, originallyCapone. The Capone family included James, Ralph, Salvatore (Frank), Alphonse, John, Albert,Mafalda. Capone was proud to be an American Im no Italian. I was born in Brooklyn, he oftenAl went to school with Salvatore Lucania, later known as Lucky Luciano. At about the age of tenup-and-coming gangster Johnny Torrio, also a Neapolitan. At fourteen he quit school afterLucky Luciano joined a gang known as the Five Pointers, on Manhattans Lower East Side. president of the Unione Siciliane, as a bouncer and bartender. One night he made a remark aboutGalluciano, and Galluciano slashed Capones face with a pocket knife, leaving three large scarsmuch of his criminal career, newspapers would call Capone by the hated name Scarface. forgive Galluciano and, years later, hired him as a bodyguard. Johnny Torrio had moved to Chicago to work for hisuncle, Big Jim Colosimo. Torrio sent for his trustedlieutenant, Capone. Suspected of two murders, Caponewas eager to leave New York. Capone worked underTorrio as a bouncer and thug. On May 11, 1920, BigJim Colosimo was assassinated in his own cafe by anunknown killer. Johnny Torrio was now the leader ofthe most powerful gang in Chicago, and Capone hisTorrio imposed a peace treaty on the other gangs,which lasted until the OBanion-Genna war. Torrio wasshot by OBanion men in reprisal for OBanions slaying. He survived, barely. Before retiring to Italy, Torrioturned over leadership of his gang to Capone. The Di Vito monument, a short distance east of theBishops mausoleum, features busts of Mr. and Mrs. Di Vito in shallow alcoves. The Ionic columns on theside are partially covered with clinging vines. Mount Carmel is one of Chicagos finest graveyards. It is located in west suburban Hillside,Heaven. Mt Carmel is the oldest Catholic cemetery in the western part of the Archdiocese ofThe vast majority of persons buried here are Italian. Italian traditions include statuary, andprivate mausoleums. There are over 400 private family mausoleums in Mt. Carmel, more thanItalian immigrants in Chicago preserved their culture, and Mount Carmel has a wonderfulThe most popular attraction is the Bishops mausoleum, which received over 50,000 visitors inof Cardinal Bernardin in October 1996. But to many, Mt. Carmel is equally famous for thegangsters of the 1920s including Al Capone, best known of them all. Bibliography:I really cant say anything

Pygmies Essays - African Pygmies, Mbuti People, Ef People

Pygmies Pygmy groups are scattered throughout equatorial Africa, from Cameroon in the west to Zambia in the southeast. In Zaire, there are three main groups of Pygmies: the Tswa in the west, the Twa between Lake Kivu and Lake Tanganyika, and the Mbuti (also referred to as Bambuti or BaMbuti) of the Ituri Forest. According to Schebesta, the author of the earliest reliable reports, only the Mbuti are true Pygmies, i.e., under 150 cm. in height and relatively unmixed with neighboring peoples. The other groups are referred to as Pygmoids, being highly intermixed with other peoples both physically and culturally (Turnbull 1965A: 159-B). The following summary refers only to the Mbuti Pgymies of the Ituri Forest in Zaire. The Mbuti are located at lat. 0 degrees-3 degrees N and long. 26 degrees-30 degrees E. Their territory is a primary rain forest. The Mbuti have conventionally been divided into three groups, which are distinct from each other linguistically, economically, and geographically. Each of the three groups speaks a different language (which corresponds to the language spoken by neighboring villagers), practices different hunting techniques, and is territorially distinct. The Aka speak the Mangbetu language (Sudanic family), hunt primarily with spears, and live in the north. These spear-hunters have not been extensively studied. The Efe speak the Lese language (Sudanic family), are archers, and are located in the east. The Efe were studied by Schebesta. The Sua speak the Bira language (Bantu branch of the Benue-Congo family), hunt with nets, and live to the south. They were studied by Putnam and Turnbull. The most profound difference between the three groups, the linguistic difference, is, according to Turnbull, of recent origin and is purely accidental (Turnbull 1965B 22-23). Furthermore, in spite of the fact that the three languages are very different, there are enough similarities in intonation to make it possible for Pygmies to recognize, if not comprehend, each other. All of the Pygmies of the Ituri Forest recognize themselves by the term Mbuti, and the only political identity they have is in opposition to the village cultivators. The Mbuti as a whole are clearly distinct from these village neighbors both racially and culturally, and, Turnbull says, the economic differences between the three Mbuti groups mask a basic structural unity (Turnbull 1965B: 22-23). Since there has never been an official demographic census, it is impossible to give an accurate estimate of the total Mbuti population. From discussion with missionaries and administrators and from his own experience, however, Turnbull guessed that the population was approximately 40,000 in 1958 (Turnbull 1965B: 26). The Mbuti live in territorially defined nomadic bands. The membership of these bands is very fluid. Bands have no formal political structure; there are no chiefs, and there is no council. An informal consensus among old respected men is the basis of decisions affecting the entire camp. In spite of Turnbull's insistence on basic structural unity, the differences in hunting techniques aqppear to have considerable effect upon the nature of the band organization. Net hunting is a cooperative venture, requiring the cooperation of the whole band, including the women and children. Archery, on the other hand, is primarily a family venture, requiring only two or three men. The most obvious distinction resulting from the economic differences is that of band size. Archer bands average about 6 huts per band, while net-hunting bands average about 15 huts. The Mbuti maintain relationships with surrounding village cultivators whose languages the Mbuti have adopted. Many accounts indicate that the Mbuti are highly acculturated and have adopted many features of villager lifestyle beyond language, such as the clan system and certain religious observances. Turnbull feels that these features are quite superficial, however. The relationship between the Mbuti and the villagers is maintained on several different levels, centering around trade. The Pygmies bring the villagers honey and meat in return for plantation products. This economic exchange can occur on several levels: between the band and the village as a whole (capita/chief), between lineage and lineage (lineage elder/Kpara), or between individuals (kare/kare). The first type of relationship does not occur very often, exchanges being more easily conducted on an interpersonal basis. The lineage relationship is hereditary on both sides. The kare brotherhood is established in nkumbi initiations. In the nkumbi initiation, male villagers and Mbuti are circumcised. The relationship established in the initiation is continued throughout life and centers around economic exchange. The religious life of the Mbuti is not at all clear. Early reports state that they had no religion at all, and later reports dwell on whether or not the Mbuti relationship to the supernatural structurally constitutes religion (usually defined by belief in one supreme being) or magic. In

Political Culture and Good Citizenship

Political Culture and Good Citizenship Political culture is a widely shared set of ideas, attitudes, practices, and moral judgments that shape people’s political behavior, as well as how they relate to their government and to one another. In essence, the various elements of a political culture determine the people’s perception of who is and is not a â€Å"good citizen.† To an extent, the government itself can use outreach efforts like education and public commemorations of historical events to shape political culture and public opinion. When taken to excess, such attempts to control the political culture are often characteristic of the actions of totalitarian or fascist forms of government. While they tend to reflect the current character of the government itself, political cultures also embody the history and traditions of that government. For example, while Great Britain still has a monarchy, the queen or king has no real power without the approval of the democratically elected Parliament. Yet, while doing away with the now largely ceremonial monarchy would save the government millions of pounds per year, the British people, proud of their tradition of over 1,200 years of being ruled by royalty, would never stand for it. Today, as always, a â€Å"good† British citizen reveres the Crown. While political cultures vary greatly from nation to nation, state to state, and even region to region, they generally tend to remain relatively stable over time. Political Culture and Good Citizenship To a great degree, political culture implies the characteristics and qualities that make people good citizens. In the context of political culture, the traits of â€Å"good citizenship† transcend the government’s basic legal requirements for attaining citizenship status. As Greek philosopher Aristotle argued in his treatise Politics, simply living in a nation does not necessarily make a person a citizen of that nation. To Aristotle, true citizenship required a level of supportive participation. As we see today, thousands of lawful permanent resident aliens and immigrants live in the United States as â€Å"good citizens† as defined by the political culture without becoming fully naturalized citizens. Traits of Good Citizens Good citizens, in their daily lives, demonstrate most of the qualities considered important by the prevailing political culture. A person who lives an otherwise exemplary life but never works to support or improve the community by taking an active part in public life may be considered a good person but not necessarily a good citizen. In the United States, a good citizen is generally expected to do at least some of these things: Take part in the representative democracy by registering to vote and voting in elections.Run for elected office or volunteer to serve on appointed governing boards.Obey all federal, state, and local laws.Show up for jury duty if called.Be knowledgeable of the basic freedoms, rights, and responsibilities contained in the U.S. Constitution.Pay all applicable federal, state, and local taxes.Remain knowledgeable about political issues and government policy.Volunteer to take part in community improvement programs.Take part in patriotic observances and traditions, like standing for the National Anthem and knowing the Pledge of Allegiance. Even within the United States, the perception of political culture - thus good citizenship - may vary from region to region. As a result, it important to avoid depending on stereotypes when judging a person’s quality of citizenship. For example, people in one region may place more importance in strict observance of patriotic traditions than those in other regions. Political Culture Can Change Though it often takes generations to happen, minds - and thus political culture - can change. For example: Since its colonial period, America has seen periods during which the dominating political culture favored a policy of isolationism from foreign affairs, particularly foreign wars. In each of these cases, threats that foreign wars might directly threaten American lives and freedoms resulted in rapid reversals of the isolationist political culture.As part of President Lyndon Johnson’s sweeping Great Society social reform initiative, Congress enacted the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Passed after generations of post-Civil war racial discrimination, the law authorized the use of federal troops to supervise elections in several Southern states in order to protect the voting rights of black Americans. Forty years later, fearing that the racially-charged political culture in the South might still be a threat to the political freedom of blacks, Congress and President George W. Bush enacted the Voting Rights Extension Act of 2006. Today, multi-racial voting coalitions exist throughout the nation and Black-Americans are commonly elected to federal, state, and local offices. While some political cultures can be changed by the passage of laws, others cannot. In general, elements of a political culture based on deeply-seated beliefs or customs, such as patriotism, religion, or ethnicity are far more resistant to change than those based simply on the government’s policies or practices. Political Culture and US Nation Building While it is always difficult and sometimes dangerous, governments often try to influence the political culture of other nations. For example, the United States is known for its often-controversial foreign policy practice called â€Å"nation-building† - efforts to convert foreign governments to American-style democracies, often through the use of armed forces. In October 2000, President George W. Bush came out against nation-building, stating, â€Å"I dont think our troops ought to be used for whats called nation-building. I think our troops ought to be used to fight and win war.† But just 11 months later, the September 11, 2001 terror attacks changed the president’s perspective. As an outgrowth of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States has attempted to establish democracies in those nations. However, political cultures have hindered those U.S. nation-building efforts. In both countries, years of long-standing attitudes toward other ethnic groups, religions, women, and human rights shaped by years of tyrannical rule continue to stand in the way.

An analysis of Mark Rothko's Essay Example For Students

An analysis of Mark Rothkos Essay There seems to be no shadowing and modeling is poor which makes it difficult to locate one individual light source. It also gives the figures a two dimensional appearance and makes them seem vacant and somber. The tonal range is wide but the use of cool colors (in particular grey and blues) has the effect of distancing the spectator from the scene. Furthermore, emphasis is placed on color rather than detail because the brushwork is crude. These factors lend the scene a cold and somewhat eerie feeling. Rotators repeated use of vertical lines (specifically the railings and pillars) segregates the figures from one another and more significantly, from the spectator. The overlapping of these objects gives the scene perspective, but long with the idea of segregation and a high picture plane, this only serves to further distance the spectator. The two left most pillars are arranged in such a way that they run parallel with the two right most pillars and with the wall at the back left of the scene. Furthermore the figures on the descending staircase and the figures around the ticket booth are along the same parallel plane, and are framed within the pillars. The effect is that the eye is drawn towards the booth along this line, Perhaps then it is no coincidence that the ticket booth also mess to be the location for the vanishing point. These factors would suggest that the implied spectator position is further back along the same line as the ticket booth and the figures on the descending stairs. Roth uses the methods have discussed to distance and segregate the spectator from the scene. Along With his brushwork, lighting and choice Of colors, this lends the painting an eerie atmosphere. As such, Subway Scene is a bleak and cold image that stresses a feeling Of alienation to the spectator.

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 11

Philosophy - Essay Example Stoicism was founded by three early thinkers – Zeno of Citium in Cyprus (344-262 BC), Cleanthes (d. 232 BC) and Chrysippus (d. ca. 206 BC). â€Å"Chrysippus was particularly prolific, composing over 165 works, but we have only fragments of his works. The only complete works by Stoic philosophers that we possess are those by writers of Imperial times, Seneca (4 BC-65 AD), Epictetus (c. 55-135) and the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180) and these works are principally focused on ethics† (Baltzly, 2004). On the surface, Stoicism emphasized the idea that the true sage, in his zealous pursuit of wisdom, would find all the happiness he could want in his knowledge and subsequent inner tranquility. The ultimate source of this tranquility is achieved through the fire of the soul as it becomes connected with the fire of God, who permeates everything. Because they felt that the laws of nature were absolute and that the essential nature of humans was reason, they felt people could d o no other than ‘live according to nature.’ The Epicureans, on the other hand, felt that the greatest goal in life was to experience pleasure. Founded on the ideas of Epicurus (340-270 BC), Epicureanism centers on the idea that pleasure in moderate amounts as well as an absence of bodily pain was necessary for one to gain a state of tranquility and freedom from fear. This was obtained through the obtaining of knowledge, friendship and by living a virtuous and temperate life. The key to how this philosophy differed from other forms of pleasure-seeking philosophies was in the term ‘moderation.’ Although it was all right to have sex, to become involved in an all-consuming passionate affair or to have sex too often could easily throw one out of balance, making it preferable to simply abstain. In addition, this philosophy was firmly grounded upon scientific, rather than divine, principles presuming that an understanding of the world around us, and a physical understanding of

David Henry Hwang - M. Butterfly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

David Henry Hwang - M. Butterfly - Essay Example The Act 1 Scene 1 of the play describes his cell and his fame for some monumental event in his past and later the apparent hallucination of Song Liling, a Chinese woman performing in the opera Madame Butterfly. The opera has symbolic significance and there is a reference to it off and on in the play. The character of Gallimard has been presented as in contrast to Pinkerton in Giacomo Puccini’s Madam Butterfly (produced, 1904; published, 1935). Gallimard evaluates himself as gauche and inept in love making, but is quite surprising that he could woo Song Liling, the charming Oriental woman. Gallimard was totally unaware of the fact that Liling is a communist agent, assigned to extract the information about the Vietnam War. Though Gallimard could attain high positions because of his Oriental affairs, he was demoted and sent back to France when his analysis on East-West relations proved wrong. To pursue their plans, the communists sent Liling to France to resume his affair with Gallimard. When Liling is arrested and produced before the court for espionage, he agrees that Gallimard had handed over him confidential documents and supported him and his son for fifteen years. At the court, Liling reveals his real gender and appears in men’s clothes. Towards the last part of the play Gallimard realises his own faults that he had kept the false concepts about an Oriental woman who can sacrifice everything for him. The last scene of the play witnesses the death of Gallimard.