Expert: Michael Troy - 8/15/2003

Question
Do you think affirmative action is important for minorties and why?

Answer
Hi Jennifer,

Affirmative action is a rather vague term that can mean many things.  Originally, it just meant taking steps to ensure that hiring or application processes did not unconsciously harm a minority's chances of being accepted.  However, the term has also now grown to include racial preferences, race norming, and even quotas.

While I think it is important for minorities, like everyone else, to have a fairly equal chance at proving their capabilities and being judged on their own merits, I don't think racial preferences are a good idea.

Saying that such preferences are good for minorities is rather like saying that the institutional racial discrimination of the 19th and early 20th centuries was good for whites.  Yes, in each case it gave the preferred race some benefit over the non-preferred groups, but is also led to divisiveness, injustice, and a range of societal problems.

My view is that each person should be judged on his or her own merits, not by what continent their ancestors came from centuries ago.

I hope this helps!
- Mike