Customer Reviews

Affirmative Action: Social Justice or Reverse Discrimination? (Contemporary Issues Series)

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Beckwith and Jones perform an excellent service by admitting to the difficulty of this important issue by sharing intelligent observations from both sides of the table. "Reader in Seattle" is just another clueless woman whose ignorant comments admit to her bigotry.

Intelligent, open-minded readers will enjoy this collection.

In the landscape of American life, are there any social problems more vexing and more persistent than those involving race? The answer, clearly, is no, and within the racial realm, few issues stir more heated controversy than does affirmative action. (Although later amended to include women, affirmative action began as an effort chiefly to redress the social, educational and economic grievances of black Americans that are rooted in racial discrimination, and the ongoing debate remains primarily focused on race, rather than gender.) The myriad connotations attached to the term, arising from the widely varied policies and programs instituted under the rubric of affirmative action, have muddied the waters of discourse and fueled venomous exchanges between proponents and opponents of race-conscious remedies. As a result, discussions of affirmative action on the popular level (e.g. radio talk shows and coffee break conversations) often tend toward emotion-driven ad hominem attacks, and seldom contribute to increased understanding or any closing of the ideological gap. Even the Supreme Court justices have demonstrated the difficulty of trying to approach the complexities of A.A. with any degree of consistency, and their rulings have therefore tended to add fuel to the rhetorical fire, rather than tempering or extinguishing it.

In the midst of such rancor and confusion, Beckwith and Jones' book is refreshing. Co-edited by men on opposite sides of the issue whose maturity has nevertheless enabled them to work congenially together, the book is what Fox News only claims to be: fair and balanced. It is comprised of separate (and generally very clearly written) essays on affirmative action by authors from various points along the ideological spectrum and from different academic disciplines (or, as in the case of anti-affirmative action firebrand Ward Connerly, from no area of discernible academic expertise). The result is a nuanced book that looks at A.A. in terms of its philosophical underpinnings, its history from a governmental and legal perspective, and a number of concrete, specific issues connected with it. The co-editors have chosen a subtitle--"Social Justice or Reverse Discrimination?"--that reflects how affirmative action is generally framed (respectively) by its proponents and its opponents, thereby exemplifying even in the book's title how linguistic labels are often used to shape attitudes regarding matters of controversy.

I would heartily recommend this book to anyone looking for a clearer understanding of what affirmative action is and is not. Whether you are (like me) a staunch advocate of affirmative action, a vehement opponent of A.A., or someone with no definite stance on the issue who simply wants to move beyond the sound-bite level of discourse toward a deeper understanding of affirmative action and the controversy surrounding it, you will find much of value in this book. If you already stand firmly on one side of the issue or the other, it will expose you to intelligent arguments on the other side, as well as sound reasoning to support your view.

I'd love to see an updated edition of this book that would include analyses of the affirmative action cases heard by the Supreme Court in the years since its original publication. Even without such an update, however, highly recommended for the general reader as well as students keenly interested in education, law, philosophy, political science, public policy, or life itself.

Applying a system which restricts access to wealth and opportuinity to racial and gender based criteria is a form a social engineering that is tantamount to that favoured by the NAZIS and the Stalinist Empire in the 1930's. However,as insidious as the the application of Affirmative Discrimination is in the US, it pales in comparison to what is currently being perpetrated in South Africa.For every white male job applicant in South Africa there are approximately twenty to fifty black applicants (yes a black majority!), yet it is the minority which legislation enforces discrimination against.Proponents of Affirmative Action would argue that it is minorities which need and deserve protection - how is it then that Affirmative Action is always designed to benefit a particular race group, and specifically designed to discriminate against white males specifically - no matter what their individual circumstances.
In South Africa defenceless white males are prevented by legisaltion from receiving equal access to wealth, opportuinity, tertiary education and training - all justified by the ANC governments' racial engineering strategy.The silence of the Western media on this matter(particularly the BBC)borders on the criminal.(The ANC controlled media does not deserve mention as it is merely a propaganda engine.)
AA selection criteria result many meritous white applicants being arbritarily rejected, nevermind their academic qualifications, experience or socio-economic status.Instead of ensuring that all meritous applicants, regardless of race, be allowed an equal chance to compete, non-meritous black applicants were given preference over skilled white applicants - pure racial engineering. In South Africa the ANC uses demographic and occupational statistics in an attempt to justify its' heinous racial engineering agenda.The strategy being pursued by the racist ANC regime demands that the majority of skilled positions available in the economy be occupied by blacks, and imposes substantial financial penalties, and refuses lucrative government tenders, to those organisations who fail to comply speedily enough.This effectively dooms an entire generation of young, white South African males to a future of poverty, regardless of their educational level.This is tantamount to ethnic cleansing and ethnic cleansing is Genocide. This, not crime, is the primary reason for the brain drain from South Africa as many white males would otherwise be reduced to the level of beggars.
Affirmative Action is a Gross Human Rights Violation and must be declared a Crime Against Humanity.
It goes without saying that its' victims should be paid substantial reparations for the economic, psychological and emotional trauma they suffered by having their basic human rights violated by Nazis style social engineering.

This book is an informative collection of essays debating the application of Affirmative Action in America.However it is amazing that many Americans support such an abhorent practice of violating individual human rights,as expressed in this work.
Applying a system which restricts access to wealth and opportuinity to racial and gender based criteria is a form a social engineering that is tantamount to that favoured by the NAZIS and the Stalinist Empire in the 1930's. However,as insidious as the the application of Affirmative Discrimination is in the US, it pales in comparison to what is currently being perpetrated in South Africa.For every white male job applicant in South Africa there are approximately twenty to fifty black applicants (yes a black majority!), yet it is the minority which legislation enforces discrimination against.Proponents of Affirmative Action would argue that it is minorities which need and deserve protection - how is it then that Affirmative Action is always designed to benefit a particular race group, and specifically designed to discriminate against white males - no matter their individual circumstances?!
In South Africa defenceless white males are prevented by legislation from receiving equal access to wealth, opportuinity, tertiary education and training - all justified by the ANC governments' racial engineering strategy.AA selection criteria result in many meritous white applicants being arbritarily rejected, nevermind their academic qualifications, experience or socio-economic status.Instead of ensuring that all meritous applicants, regardless of race, be allowed an equal chance to compete, non-meritous black applicants are given preference over skilled white applicants - pure racial engineering. In South Africa the ANC uses demographic and occupational statistics in an attempt to justify its' heinous racial engineering agenda.The strategy being pursued by the racist ANC regime demands that the majority of skilled positions available in the economy be occupied by blacks, and imposes substantial financial penalties, and refuses lucrative government tenders, to those organisations who fail to comply speedily enough.This effectively dooms an entire generation of young, white South African males to a future of poverty, regardless of their educational level.This is tantamount to ethnic cleansing and ethnic cleansing is Genocide. This, not crime, is the primary reason for the brain drain from South Africa as many white males would otherwise be reduced to the level of beggars.
Affirmative Action is a Gross Human Rights Violation and must be declared a Crime Against Humanity.
It goes without saying that its' victims should be paid substantial reparations for the economic, psychological and emotional trauma they suffered by having their basic human rights violated by Nazis style social engineering.

Gender, race, and class are what A.A. addresses, not the hurt feelings of a few clueless white males. As a feminist who happens to be a white Woman, I'm challenging the paradigms of gender and race imposed upon us by elitist white males. As a graduate of Stanford, I renew my committment to fighting those people who would take diversity away from our campuses, not just in California but everywhere. Let's rememeber then, someday white males will need Affirmative Action!!!!