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Home Schooler Guide To Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is a highly controversial policy designed to make up for the social injustices that minority groups have suffered historically through discrimination. The two most controversial areas in which affirmative action has been instituted are education and employment. Affirmative action’s purpose is to correct these injustices to the point where certain affirmative action policies will no longer be needed. Christian homeschoolers should learn more about affirmative action because it impacts everyone, not just minorities.There are many who believe that affirmative action does more harm than good. They traditionally use the “two wrongs don’t make a right” argument, positing that reverse-discrimination will only serve to increase racial tensions among demographic groups. In addition, opponents believe that affirmative action sacrifices performance quality in work and learning by allowing less-capable people to bring down the overall level of quality in the environment.
The underlying assumption that affirmative action proponents take is that racial blindness is not enough to ensure that minority groups will achieve equal footing with whites. They suggest that employers, college admissions officials, and others in similar positions should retroactively act in favor of minorities on a racial basis as opposed to a purely merit-based selection guideline. This position is based on the assumptions that past discrimination should be retroactively counterbalanced with providing minorities special consideration.
Secondly, it assumes that those already in power cannot judge merit fairly given their prejudice in the past and their propensity to look favorably on those from similar backgrounds. Those in favor of affirmative action believe that the ends justify the means. Promoting diversity is worth the sacrifice of what amounts to reverse-discrimination.
These are all questions that we must face. Christian homeschool students are encouraged to click on the links above to learn more.