Controversy Of Affirmative Action And Its Cultural Implications

In modem society work is of prime importance as it provides the main source of income tomaintain a family's standard of living and to secure its economic futUre. However, in the UnitedStates, which is widely heralded aS the "1and of OPPobeity",, equal emplOyment oPPohatyaPplied almost exclusively to whitC men in the l960s and before. Over many generations in thehistory of the United StatCs, discrimination and the systematic exclusion of ethnic minorities andwomen ftom full participation in the economy became embedded in the attitudes, values andbehavior of vimially all institUtions in American life. The labor market was replere withoccuPations in which it was exPected that no minorities or women would be employed. TheCivil Rights movement, often called America's second revolUtion, began to change the status quoby challenging the denial of basic rights and insisting upon the protection of equal opportUnityAs a result, the nation was forced to abandon its support of segregation and discrimination and toaddress the pervasive and stUbbom barriers to full paticipation by minorities and women inAmerican life.In l964, the Civil Rights ACt was passed. Howevef, lnye-scale Black riots broke out inmany American cities. This showed that the Blacks harbored: strong dissatisfaction with thestabo quo of the African Americans. In l965, President Lyndon Johnson followed up the CivilRights Act with Executive Order No. l l246. This commtheent to affirmative action continued inthe executive branch during the administrations of Presidents Nixon and Ford. Meanwhile, therewere Reagan and Bush who showed their opposition to it. Still today as a presidential candidate,George W Bush calls for an immediate stop of Affirmative action.This paPer is made up of three chapters. The first chaPter: has retrospeCtively viewed theconception of affirm8tive action and its evolution over the past 35 years. The second chaPtCrelaborates on the pros and cons in the debate of affirmative action. Howevef, this debate doesnot exist in the political circles aIone and the views of many common peOPle are also representedto a large extent. Why is the affirmative action such a controversial issue? Based on the firsttWo chaPters, the author goes deeper into the issue and attemptS to analyze itS cultural roOts andimplications in the third chaPter In this chaPtef, I will consider the relationship betweenaffirmative acion and some core American values that shaPe American people's attitIJde towardaffirmative action. Here, the unique American ideas of equality the American work ethic and the4affirmative achon. Here, the tmique American ideas of equality the American work ethic and themost exclusive American possess ionAndividual il sm wi l l be d iscussed respective lyIn sum, affirmative action as a policy was out of the unique background of multi-racialAmerican society. As a very impobot public issue, its controversy reflects the paradoxical sideof American cultUre.As the affirmative action issue is very complex, this paPer seeks to focus the clientS of theaffirmative achon program on the black people in the United States.