One Woman's View of Affirmative Action - Because I Am a Woman

With the very mention of Affirmative Action heads turn, ears perk up and people really begin to listen to what you have to say. Few actions by our government have ever generated as much attention or controversy as the Affirmative Action Laws. However, a person has to question the relevance of these laws in the society of today. I know, many will expect that they are about to be submerged in the typical opposition paper for Affirmative Action, and few will have the fortitude to continue reading and actually think about the viewpoint about to be expressed. However, for those who do have that fortitude let me tell you who I am. I am a Caucasian woman, who was raised by a family far below the economic "normal" range. As a matter of fact, I lived in a very rural area, and my childhood was spent with my family on some type of public assistance or another, and while my community was made up mainly by Caucasians to be on public assistance was more normal for our area than it was to not need the public assistance. Now, that being said let's discuss the effects of Affirmative Action and why I am opposed to it's continued use.

First, let me say that there was a time in this country when Affirmative Action was needed to create an environment that was friendly to people of all races, religion, creeds and sexual orientations. A time when the idea of anyone other than a white male attaining an education or holding a public job was preposterous, however that time has passed. I am by no means delusional to the point of saying that racism or sexism no longer exist, I am simply stating that civil rights and equal opportunity movements have succeeded to the point of making the people who harbor these feelings the minority now, not the majority. At this point in time, I would like to see all people judged on the basis of who they are, what they stand for and what abilities they possess and not make it about their color, religious beliefs or sexual orientation.

Throughout my years in school I worked hard to maintain good grades. In fact, I worked my ass off. Now, there will be some who would say, well it was easier for you because you were white. To them I would say this, I went to school each day to receive a lunch paid for by the government by what is known as the "Free Lunch" program. This was based on the fact that my family (a family of 5) earned less that seven thousand dollars per year. When I got home, I studied as much as I could, but when the opportunity presented itself I did whatever odd job I could to earn money for the "extras" such as clothing and shoes like the other kids wore to school rather than the yard sale items my family could afford. Even with the low social and economic standing that I struggled with I managed to graduate 10^th in my class. I like to think it was because of the fact that I learned early what it meant to work for the things that I wanted, and not in spite of them.

I will never forget the day I applied to college, or the day that I went to the Financial Aid Office to find out what types of Financial Aid were available. I qualified for the entire amount the Pell Grant allowed, as well as a state subsidy for underprivileged students. I also received a list of scholarships available, and this list offended and appalled me to the core. There were any number of scholarships available to this group or that group, there were scholarships for women, for minorities, for children of people working at certain places, and there were scholarships for almost any group you could imagine. I felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach. How was it that in this day and age any educational institution could base a request for financial help on any criteria except your academic merit and your need for financial assistance? I tossed my scholarship brochure and general application in the trash right there in the financial aid office. The notion that my being there should be rewarded based on the fact that I was a woman, that I belonged to a certain ethnic group or that my parents had a job at a certain factory was demeaning to all that I had done to get there. It should be considered demeaning by every person applying to college in this day and age.

It was during my time at college that I learned that admissions are also skewed by many factors aimed at creating a diverse environment. The knowledge of this practice demeaned everything that I had worked for. It took away the feeling that because I had worked so hard, I was rewarded with the opportunity to be educated, because now I had to wonder if I was accepted because of my accomplishment in rising above my inferior economic background, or was it simply because I was a girl that I was allowed to attend? When I left college, I asked myself the same question when I applied for and attained my first position with a major company.

Overall, I cannot say I never benefited from Affirmative Action, because without the original initiatives I would never have been allowed to try and prove myself. However, now we all have the right to get up every morning and prove exactly what we can do. The time for Affirmative Action has passed. Any system that gives preferential treatment to someone based on the color of their skin, their sex, their religion or any factor other than what they have worked for and what they have accomplished is wrong. Giving someone preferential treatment based on any of these characteristics simply serves to demean them as a person, and works towards the assumption that they need these lower standards in place to truly compete. This only serves to try and make them believe they are less than they truly are. I can and will compete with the "boys" on any level. I do not need the standards lowered for me to do so and succeed. It is time we as a nation remove any discriminatory basis from the competition fields of education and employment fostered by the idea of diversity, and recognize that we are all indeed equals, and capable of succeeding equally with no limitations in place.