Affirmative action

Affirmative action is "an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, esp. in relation to employment or education; positive discrimination." -dictionary.com

In continuation of the debate we had in class regarding affirmative action I personally do not believe we need affirmative action,  not just because we now have a black president but because even though it is defined as "positive discrimination" it is still discrimination. The concept itself of affirmative action does not make much sense to me because we are trying to make up for old prejudice and discrimination by over compensating and discriminating against non-minorities.  Instead of doing this I think we should stop trying to make up for the past, realize whats done is done, learn from our mistakes, move on, and not let them happen again.

As for those people who say that affirmative action is fair because it just levels the playing field for minorities because they live in poorer areas, have more responsibilities, and less moral support I would just like to say in response that it's all about being self driven, knowing what you want and going for it. Although I can see how certain situations could effect your ability to reach your full potential but if you inform colleges of this they will take that into consideration aside from affirmative action. Lastly I think when comparing students one should only be able to base their decision solely on who has better grades, test scores, and extra curricular activities rather then factoring in their ethnicity.