The Failures Of Affirmative Action Essays (1217 words) -

The Failures of Affirmative Action Audience: US Congress Once upon a time, there were two people who went to an interview for only one job position at the same company. The first person attended a prestigious and highly academic university, had years of work experience in the field and, in the mind of the employer, had the potential to make a positive impact on the companies performance. The second person was just starting out in the field and seemed to lack the ambition that was visible in his opponent. Who was chosen for the job?, you ask. Well, if the story took place before the mid-sixties, the answer would be obvious. However, with the adoption of the social policy known as affirmative action, the answer becomes unclear. After the United States passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it became apparent that certain business traditions, such as seniority status and aptitude tests, prevented total equality in employment. Therefore, president Lyndon Johnson decided to do something to remedy these flaws. In 1965 he issued an ex! ecutive order that required federal contractors to take "affirmative action" to ensure that applicants are employed?without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin. When LBJ signed that order, he enacted one of the most discriminating pieces of legislature in the history of the United States. Affirmative action was created in an effort to help minorities leap the discriminative barriers that were prevalent when the bill was first enacted, in 1965. At this time the country was in the wake of nation wide civil-rights demonstrations, and racial tensions was at its peak. White males, who controlled the hiring and firing of employees, occupied most of the corporate and managerial positions. The US government believed that these employers were discriminating against minorities and believed that there was no better time than the present to bring about change. When the civil rights law passed, minorities, especially African-Americans believed they should receive retribution for the years of discrimination they had endured. The government responded by passing laws to aid them in attaining better employment as reprieve for the previous two-hundred years of suffering their race endured at the hands of the white man. To many, this made sense. Supporters of affirmative action asked, "Why not let the government help them get better jobs, after all the white man was responsible for their suffering". While all this may be true, there is another question to be asked. Are we truly responsible for the years of persecution that African-Americans were submitted to? The answer is yes and no. It is true that the white man is partly responsible for the suppression of the African-American race. However, the individual white male is not. It is just as unfair and suppressive to hold many white males responsible for past persecution now as it was to discriminate against many African-Americans in the generations before. Why should an honest, hard working, open minded, white male be suppressed, today, for past injustice? Affirmative action accepts the idea of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Do two wrongs make a right? Affirmative action supporters make one large assumption when defending the policy. They assume that minority groups want help. This, however, may not always be the case. It is my belief that they fought to attain equality, not special treatment. To them, the acceptance of special treatment is an admittance of inferiority. They ask," Why can't I become successful on my own? Why do I need laws to help me get a job?" African-Americans want to be treated as equals, not incompetents. Thousands of white males, who do not discriminate, are being punished because of those who do. The Northern Natural Gas Company of Omaha, Nebraska was forced by the government to release sixty-five white male workers to make room for minority employees in 1977. Five major Omaha corporations reported that the number of white managers fell 25% in 1969 due to restrictions put on them when affirmative action was adopted. You ask," What did these white males do to bring about their termination?" The only crime that they were guilty of was being white. It hardly seems fair to punish so many innocent men for the crimes

People are determined to find a way to categorize books as

People are determined to find a way to categorize books as great or not. It is impossible to come up with a set of guidelines and requirements that will enable us to dub a book as great. Everyones view point is different. We have brought up the considerations of the book serving its purpose, and how important that purpose is. For a book to be great it should accomplish what it set out to do. It would be a rare thing for an author to accidently come out with something great. The importance of the purpose is a subjective topic. What is pertinent to one may not be to another. The subject matter does not need to be dark and heavy for a book to be effective. A great piece of literature should have you walk away affected. There is no way you will be able to come to a general consensus on whether a book is great or not. Literature is based on a personal relationship between the reader and the novel. I found Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, to be a great book. Simply, it is a work of art. Nabokov uses such beautiful language. His poetry manages to make the reader strangely comfortable with a sinister situation. It is able to make you sympathize with someone you would not normally. This book also goes deeper, showing the complexities of The names of characters in the book show the duality in themselves. They have repetitious names such as Humbert Humbert and J.R.,Jr. These represent the competing natures within everyone. Throughout the book Humbert professes his unconditional love for Lolita. He assumes the role of a parent, even buying books on how to raise children. At the same time, though, he pays her for sexual favors. Every human being has desires which clash with what is accepted by society. What distinguishes Humbert from the majority is that he acts upon them. In Humbert we find a man with qualities we can all relate to. At ...

Chinese Nationalists and Chinese Communists in China in the 1920s Essay

Chinese Nationalists and Chinese Communists in China in the 1920s - Essay Example In his article, Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society, Mao Tse-tung argues that the lower classes of Chinese society will provide the main support for the communist revolution because they have low economic status and are victims of the capitalist exploitation of international imperialism. According to Mao, the origin of massive class disparity in China is the imperial capitalism which places most of the national resources in the hands of a small elite group and leaves the majority of the population, which comprises of peasants and low-level workers, economically deprived and struggling excessively in their efforts to earn a living. Mao believes that these struggling classes are the real friends of the revolution because they stand to benefit tremendously in a system whereby national resources are equitably distributed to all citizens (Tse-tung, Marxists.org).Thesis: Mao’s argument on economic disparity between classes in Chinese society illustrates the reason for the con stant conflict between the Chinese Nationalists and Chinese Communists in the 1920s. Mao’s argument plays a significant role when considering the differences between the Chinese Nationalists and Chinese Communists in China in the 1920s. The policies of the Nationalists tended to lean towards western ideals of capitalism and international imperialism. These policies favored the high classes of Chinese society at the expense of the lower classes. The high classes benefited from this system because they owned capital which they could use for productive purposes. They kept the proceeds from these productive purposes all to themselves, paying peasant workers small wages and overworking them. On the other hand, the Communists recognized that resources are limited, and not everyone in the society can acquire significant resources that will enable them to live comfortably. Therefore, they believed that the government should have sole control of all resources and distribute them equal ly to all members of the society (Ebrey, Walthall and Palais, 427). These massive ideological differences pitted the Communists against the Nationalists in the struggle to establish control over the divided country. It quickly became apparent to the Communists that they would have to drive the Nationalists from power for them to be able to spread the ideals of the revolution. Regime change and complete overhaul of the old system would have to take place if the communist revolution were to achieve success. Consequently, the Communists were a direct threat to the survival of the Nationalist government and to its grip on power and influence. As a result, the Nationalists realized that they would have to stem communist ideals from spreading throughout China in order to prevent the Communists from acquiring enough support to mount a revolution (Ebrey, Walthall and Palais, 431). Throughout the 1920s, there was conflict between the Nationalists and the Communists. The Communists were attem pting to grow their movement whereas the Nationalists were bent on preventing from them from gaining a foothold among rural Chinese peasants and urban dwellers. For example, the Communist Party gained a massive following among members of the General Labor Union of Shanghai. This following enabled the Communist Party to influence the GLU to call for a general strike on March 1921. Consequently over six hundred thousand workers seized the city and demanded a return of foreign concessions. Soldiers and members of the Green Gang loyal to Chiang Kaishek of the Nationalist Party immediately mounted a response, shooting and killing an estimated 5,000 union members and also attacked the union headquarters. This terror did not end with Shanghai. It quickly spread to other Chinese cities whereby soldiers of the Nationalist government destroyed bases of the Communist Party (Ebrey, Walthall and Palais, 427). These events demonstrated the fear that the Nationalists had over the Communists gainin g

Gender Differences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Gender Differences - Essay Example The preparation and the aftermath of any of the above mentioned occurrences requires special planning and assistance. The research will show that due to our "classic conditioning", we are systematically excluding a segment of our population from participating in an all important undertaking. The literature will use the educational system to show how we view gender, and how this time honored perception skews the method and attitude of instruction and attention, in fostering a mere tolerance, and not an equal commitment to the presence of girls in the classroom. The fact that gender differences in the classroom is not viewed as a significant entity, is stunting the growth and denying the full potential of a majority of the school age population. Additionally, the literature will also address the gap and the absence of ethnic gender diversity considerations in the educational system. The system addresses this matter as if the low income minority female is present in the classroom, only to bide her time, until something else comes along. She receives little credit for her achievements and given only casual acknowledgment for her efforts. The literature sets out to highlight the existence of gender differences and whether the presence of these differences is fertile ground for bias. And whether the bias results in a disadvantage for any of the groups affected. Is it a fact that boys are educated differently from girls, and if so, does the advantage have a positive or negative impact on the achievement of the gender or race of those without the advantage. Are remedial measures necessary to assist in obtaining gender and ethnic equality The review clearly points out the existence of gaps in standardized test scores among various students classifications, for example, a Caucasian female student who has a high GPA will invariably score, on average, 30 points less than her Caucasian counterpart on the SAT. Even if the male has a lower GPA than the female, his scores will be higher than the female.This phenomenon is so pervasive until college admission officers have adopted a policy to make a 30 point allowance between male and female scores when making admission decisions. 2.0 CHAPTER TWO 2.1 GENDER IDENTITY Gender identity is the individuals private experience of his/her gender; the concept of the self as masculine or feminine. This is such an important part of a person's self concept that in most adults it is virtually impossible to change it. There are several different perspectives on how gender identity is formed and this writer finds the following concepts the most appropriate; psychoanalytical, social learning, and cognitive development.Psychoanalytical theory describes a process in which the young child identifies3 with the same sex parent. She internalizes the characteristics and behavior styles of that parent and begin unconsciously to react in similar ways; Social Learning theory suggests that the child develops a gender identity through a learning process that involves modeling, imitation and reinforcement. The theory rests on the assumption that boys learn to be boys and girls to be

Hamilton’s Economic Vision Essay Example for Free

Hamilton’s Economic Vision Essay Alexander Hamilton was a staunch Federalist who believed in maintaining power within the national government that is led by men of wealth, intelligence and talent and who are driven towards commercial development. His original proposal for the new constitution was very conservative but he had to accept a compromise if the Constitution was to be approved. Hence, the new government was launched with George Washington elected as President. Hamilton himself was appointed Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton envisioned a country of great strength and he believed that growth can only be achieved through domestic manufacturing and overseas trade. He aimed to emulate the stability and governing style of England. He looked admiringly upon competitive and ambitious self-starters who focused on financial successes and encouraged close association with them. Hamilton was determined to move the new government into the direction which he deemed was right and proper. He had a nation to build. Working his way towards such a goal, Hamilton submitted reports to Congress for their endorsement into law. His first was a â€Å"Report on the Public Credit† which came in two phases. The first phase included his recommendations for the funding of the remaining Revolutionary War debt and the federal assumption of debt. He hoped that these actions would â€Å"stabilize the government finances, establish its credit, build confidence in the new nation at home and tie business and commercial interests firmly to the new constitution. † Essentially, funding would allow the government creditors to exchange their much depreciated securities at face value for new, interest-bearing government bonds while the remaining state war debts would be assumed by the federal government. The South argued against the funding mainly because they would not get much benefit from it while arguments against the federal assumption of the remaining debts run came mainly from the States who had almost completely paid off all their debts. Other critics were able to see through Hamilton’s ploy anticipating that the central government merely plans to develop close with the wealth creditors/individuals as the central government will now be the one who will control who gets to be paid and when. Moreover, the central government would now have a justifiable reason to impose taxes. With a side deal of moving the government seat from New York to Philadelphia, Hamilton got his endorsement. The second phase involved the creation of a national bank that is able to handle the â€Å"government’s financial affairs and pooling private investment capital for economic development. † Opposition again came from the South who prefers to promote agrarian development as it sees lesser benefit for them and more for the northern merchants. It was nonetheless endorsed and signed into law by Washington upon the urging of Hamilton. His second on â€Å"Report on Public Credit† proposed the imposition of a series of excise taxes including one on the manufacture of distilled liquor. The Whiskey Tax as it was coined, set the precedent for the government to use its taxing authority to increase federal revenue. Hamilton believed that â€Å"the power to tax and spend was the power to govern. † It became law in March 1791. Finally, in his â€Å"Report on Manufacturers†, Hamilton called for tariffs on imported European goods. This would make the goods produced by American industries more competitive in terms of price. The resulting revenue will â€Å"encourage the expansion of commercial agriculture and a network of federally-sponsored internal improvements† which would â€Å"stimulate commerce and bind the nation more tightly together. † However, since this might reduce overseas trade, Congress did not endorse this. Work Cited Creating a Nation. Name of Book. XXX ed. Year Published.

The Seven Spiritual Weapons :: essays research papers

When people give their lives to Christ Jesus their hearts are changed and their soul becomes alive with the Holy Spirit. Once a life is saved, is life relaxed and easy for it is saved from the pit of hell? Of course not, Christians are faced with temptations from Satan and his demons. Temptations are brought upon us for us to make the choice of whether or not to fall into temptation or not. In the book The Seven Spiritual Weapons, Catherine of Bologna lists seven spiritual weapons to conquer enemies of God. These seven tools are to enhance our personal walk with Jesus Christ. Catherine wrote this work in fear of divine condemnation. She felt if she was silent about the delights of others she would be condemned. She felt it was her spiritual duty to do God's will and to encourage her fellow sisters of the monastery to fight the enemies of God. The first spiritual weapon Catherine describes is Zeal, that is solicitude in doing good. God condemns those that are lukewarm and negligent in the way of God. Enemies will see people doing good and will try to corrupt them by persuading them to do too much. Catherine reveals that there is as much danger in too much as in too little. People may try to do good deeds and wind up performing them in excess of what is good for the glory of God. 'So exercise all the virtues in proper measure that the weapon of true and diligent discretion may be exercised by us for our salvation and for the praise of Christ.'; Catherine portrays that it is very important for people to practice all virtues with discretion, for as to not over do it. The Holy Spirit inspires good inspirations in people, and then leaves the choice for each person to make and act upon. We must not let the time the Holy Spirit has given us pass by without the choice being made to follow Christ Jesus. Catherine's second spiritual weapon is Mistrust of Self. She describes this as believing that no one can do anything good by oneself, without the help of Christ Jesus. Do not trust in yourself for you shall surely fall to the enemy. It is in a person's nature to try to do things by his or herself, but the Lord says, 'Without me you can do nothing'; (Jo 15:5).

Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

Who in To Kill a Mockingbird is a good father, a good lawyer and a good citizen? Atticus is a great father in many ways. One example would be his style of discipline, meaning that he tries to lead Scout and Jem through a discussion to see what it is that they have done wrong and why it is wrong. As a lawyer, during the case of Tom Robinson, Atticus does all that he could to prove Tom’s innocence’s. Lastly, as a good citizen, Atticus is known to be very respectful, like when he helps Ms.Dubose with her addiction. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch’s influence on his daughter Scout is made clear through the importance he places on education, the admirable ways he practices law, and through his effective interactions with Maycomb residents. Atticus Finch’s influence on his daughter Scout is made clear through the importance he places on education. After Scouts first day of school, she complained to Atticus of how the teac her argued that the both of them should no longer read together, so then she no longer would need to go to school. Atticus decided to change Scouts thinking by encouraging her and saying â€Å"If you’ll concede the necessity of going to school, we’ll go on reading every night just as we always have.† Atticus perspective of this was to prove to Scout that no one should interfere of what you want to do or have been doing, as long as you feel it is right. During the course of the case proceedings of Tom Robinson, it was a difficult time period for the Finches but Atticus warned Scout that if even if she hears anything about it in school, she should do him a favor and â€Å"You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ’em get your goat? An educational view on this would be that as Scout being a student she must be determined in order to achieve her goals. While at the trial , during Atticus closing argument he pointed out that â€Å"The most ridiculous example I can think of is that the people who run pu blic education promote the stupid and idle along with the industrious- because all men are created equal, educators will gravely tell you, the children left behind suffer terrible feelings of inferiority.†. Atticus view of this would be that ‘men are created equal’ and so just as the stupid are treated the same as the smart students, the blacks should be treated the same way as the white citizens, and so in conclusion it results that Atticus puts great value on education. Atticus Finch’s influence on his daughter Scout is made clear through the admirable ways he practices law. Author, Harper Lee included a saying on â€Å"There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads- they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s word, the white always wins. They’re ugly, but these are the facts of life†. This speech that Atticus said was to show Scout how much racism goes on in the town of Maycomb. In this case it was to prove that any conflict that may happen between a black man and a white man, the white man would always win so no matter what there would alway s be a racist person. According to Atticus, â€Å"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.† When Scout had complained about her first day at school and how Miss Caroline treated her, Atticus advised Scout to get to know her and let her learn more about the Maycomb ways before she makes judgments on her. Atticus was currently teaching Scout empathy, this is a quite a difficult task because people live their lives through their own understanding and only become open-minded when they see something from another person’s view. This quote is compared to Atticus during the court trial with Tom Robinson, he knew that his client was a black man but he did not judge his client based on his color and agreed to defend him. This puts an influence to Scout that you should judge anyone under any circumstance.