on, which by the way was one of the stigmas that affirmative action set out to eradicate, has lowered minority self esteem. According to Steele, Affirmative action nurtures a victim-focused identity in blacks and sends us the message that there is more power in our past suffering than in our present achievements (Steele 326). To many minorities, affirmative action has become another hurdle for them to overcome.Affirmative action supporters make one large assumption when defending the policy. They assume that minority groups want help. This assumption, however, may not always be true. According to Migdia Chinea-Varela, a minority screen writer, Theres something almost insulting about these well-meaning affirmative action searches (341). To many minority men and women like Migdia, the acceptance of special treatment is an admittance of inferiority. The preferential treatment that all blacks receive, not just those who need it, causes some blacks to actually perform worse and acts as a hindrance to them getting promotions. According to Steele, The effect of preferential treatment puts blacks at war with an expanded realm of debilitating doubt. ... that undermines their ability to perform, especially in integrated situations (Steele 326). Because of affirmative action many qualified blacks who do receive high ranking jobs question if they would have earned them without government assistance. Migdia latter states, But the truth is that Ive never felt good about it. Ive asked myself the obvious questions. Am I being picked for my writing ability, or to fulfill a quota (Chinea-Varela 342). Minorities like Migdia want to be treated as equals, not incompetents. Affirmative Action was an essential part of the desegregation that occurred thirty years ago, but it has become outdated and is no longer part of the solution. It was a temporary plan to improve the conditions for minorities, but it is now more of a hindrance than a help to th...
