hoose the minority over the white, or for a manager to recruit and hire a qualified woman for a job instead of a man. "Qualified" as defined by affirmative action means minimally qualified (Koch 66). This guideline when applied in the real world, means that whites and Asians--no matter how economically disadvantaged or educationally deprived--may not compete equally in programs intended for blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and women (Koch). Affirmative action decisions are not supposed to be based on quotas, nor are they supposed to give any preference to unqualified candidates. The Supreme Court and other courts have drastically reduced the scope of affirmative action, and recent polls have shown that a majority of blacks dislike the fact that it is being used to help less qualified people get jobs, promotions, and admission to college (Zuckerman 88). The 1964 and 1991 Civil Rights Acts explicitly banned government imposed quotas, but nevertheless, quotas immediately spread through the economy (Brimelow and Spencer 80). In 1971 the Supreme Court ruled that employers could be prosecuted if the racial makeup of the employees was not similar to that of the community. "Proportional representation rather than social justice became the watchword" (Zuckerman 88). Some people claim that whites owe blacks for what we took from them in the past. I don't believe that society owes any compensation to blacks who are entering today's workplace or colleges. Where should a line be drawn; how much do we do to repay people for past wrongdoings? Is it enough to give them equal rights, or will we give them extra opportunities to make up for those we (my ancestors) took away? I agree that diversity in the workplace is essential because it coerces people of different cultures, backgrounds, colors, and race to work side-by-side in harmony. I believe the more one learns about another, the less likely ...
