Taking a Look at Affirmative Action - 2016 Words

Introduction of Issue Affirmative action is a product of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement and it is intended to provide equal opportunities for those who have been historically discriminated against within our society. Affirmative action policies are those that make an effort to improve opportunities for historically excluded groups within our society. When focusing on higher education, affirmative action is often referring to admission policies that have been put in place to provide equal access to education for groups that have been historically discriminated against, such as minority groups. This topic is greatly debated across college campuses within the United States. Supporters of affirmative action argue that after California Colleges in 1998 had dropped their affirmative action programs, that minority admissions had reportedly fallen. For example UC Berkeley’s admissions fell 61%, and UCLA 36% (Messerli, 2014). Critics of affirmative action argue that the policy is outdated, that we no longer live in a highly racial society, and that this policy is now causing reverse discrimination by favoring one group over another affirmative action is currently an issue not because there is extensive public outcry in support of racial discrimination, this is not to say that racial discrimination does not persist. The controversy of this issue surrounds around the disagreement about how to best fight discrimination in the current day, and whether to even recognize ifShow MoreRelated Problems with Affirmative Action Essay737 Words   |  3 Pages Affirmative Action   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For many years, people have presumed that Affirmative Action has played and continues to play a vital and important role in the lives of most minorities . However, some people have raised questions about the effectiveness of Affirmative Action. Since its conception, it has been believed that in some instances, Affirmative Action has been more harmful then helpful. One may ask the question, is Affirmative Action really worth fighting for? Some may argue, that if it had notRead More Affirmative Action Essay1086 Words   |  5 Pages The roots of Affirmative Action can be traced back to the passage of the Civil Rights Act where legislation redefined public and private behavior. The act states that to discriminate in private is legal, but anything regarding business or public discrimination is illegal. There are two instances when opposing affirmative action might seem the wrong thing to do. The nobility of the cause that help others. Affirmative Action was a great starter for equality in the work place. The mostRead MoreSummary : Rough Draft And Affirmative Action Program1575 Words   |  7 PagesJarron Jones 4-11-15 Moral Problems Rough Draft Affirmative Action In 2003, the Supreme Court issued its ruling on a case challenging the University of Michigan’s undergraduate affirmative action program, ultimately declaring the scheme unconstitutional. The admission scheme was based generally on a 150 point scale system in which the Office of Admission assigned points based on a number of factors, including high school grades, standardized test scores, high school quality, alumni strength, andRead More Affirmative Action Essay561 Words   |  3 Pages The purpose of affirmative action is to ensure equal opportunity for minorities. But it has strayed from its original intent and has become largely a program to achieve not equal opportunity but equal results. It is a system of quotas forced upon American businesses and working class by the federal government. A law which forces people to look at race before looking at the individual cannot promote equal opportunity. Affirmative action continues the judgement of minorities by race; it causes reverseRead MoreAffirmative Actions1078 Words   |  5 PagesRunning Head: AFFERMATIVE ACTION Affirmative Actions Affirmative action is an action taken by an organization to select on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity by giving due preferences to minorities like women and races being not adequately represented under the existing employment. To make the presentation of all these compositions almost equal in proportion to do away the injustice done in the past. The Supreme Company need to design an affirmative action program in the light ofRead MoreThe Precedency: Supporting the Affrimative Action Essay1486 Words   |  6 PagesAffirmative action is a government policy that gives opportunities to minorities, women, and any group who has been the victim of discrimination in the past. Affirmative action is the outcome of the 1960’s Civil Rights movement, growing out of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or gender. It was the 1978 Supreme Court decision, The Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, which allowed for the use of race-based preferences as a means ofRead MoreAffermative Action1316 Words   |  6 PagesBy: Elissa Thomas E-mail: elissa@usais.net Affirmative Action Affirmative Action efforts were started in 1964 to end the long history of overlooking qualified people of color and women from higher education. Affirmative Action sets standards for a business or office of admissions, so that a white man does not have the upper-hand over an equally or greater educated minority. The initial way the government tried to justify Affirmative Action was to develop a human resource approach: first identifyingRead MoreAffirmative Action: Social Policy1348 Words   |  6 PagesAffirmative Action Affirmative action is a social policy created to promote the welfare of minorities by supporting the idea that individuals are all created equal and should not be judged by race or gender. Therefore, in situations like job and university applications, we should consider minorities to be as feasible a choice for hire as a white male candidate, taking into consideration their background. In short, it tries to give minorities that have been at a disadvantage their whole life, anRead MoreDoes Affirmative Action Make Moral Sense?1084 Words   |  5 PagesDoes affirmative action make moral sense? A moral being is one capable of conforming to the rules of right conduct, but a big question that follows concerns the idea if there even is such a thing as â€Å"right conduct.† â€Å"Whatever can be proved to be good, must be so by being shown to be a means to something admitted to be good† (Mill 6). In John Stuart Mill’s book, â€Å"Utilitarianism,† he states this notion where an individual assumes good things are good without knowing why they’re good. Defined fromRead MoreDifferences Between Equal Employment Opportunity Initiatives, Affirmative Action Initiatives and Diversity Initiatives in Organizations1120 Words   |  5 Pages(Wisconsin Work Force Planning) Differences between Equal Employment Opportunity initiatives, Affirmative Action initiatives and Diversity initiatives in organizations Tim Piper Issues in Human Resources Management – MBA 910 February 14, 2012 To best understand how affirmative action (AA), equal employment opportunity (EEO) and diversity work together, I will take a look at each of them and how they interact with each other and also explore the differences of the three initiatives . First

Free Will and Fate Things Fall Apart - 844 Words

Fate and Free Will The idea about free will and fate is still unsolved and debatable throughout the world. Some claim that humans have their own power to create their own destiny, however, others argue that they are inescapable victims of fate. The novel, Things Fall Apart, portrays the relationship between human’s determination to succeed and his or her own fate by describing Okonkwo as a tragic figure. While Okonkwo believes that he can overcome his fate through his hard work, Chinua Achebe reveals that fate is a powerful, inevitable event in the novel. In the beginning of Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is highly praised all over Umuofia for his great wealth and power. Achebe praises the achievements of the protagonist as he†¦show more content†¦Fearing that these changes might result his downfall in his social status and destruction of his family, he abhors Christianity. Through this misfortunes, Okonkwo starts to realizes that destiny is more powerful than himself as he mentions, â€Å"A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi. The saying of the elders was not true – that if a man said yeah his chi also affirmed. Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation.† (131) Even though Okonkwo does some violent and cruel things, such as beating his wife and killing Ikemefuna, these are what he has to do to pursue what he believes for and obey the gods. These deeds are not that immoral and sinful to bring great calamities to his life. This demonstrates that fate is more powerful than humansâ₠¬â„¢ acts and beliefs. As a result, Okonkwo, is a man who thinks that he can overcome the destiny, however, he begins to laments for his misfortunes and slowly accept the existent power of fate that dominates his life. Still unable to accept and adapt to the change he encounters, Okonkwo uses a method of violence by killing the messenger from the Christians and at last kills himself. Okonkwo’s suicide marks that he finally meets his fate. He stands for his power, strength, and masculinity and has great pride for his achievement. After realizing that he cannot conquer his chi and escape from miserable events, he gives up his life byShow MoreRelated Fate and Free Will in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay1232 Words   |  5 PagesFate and Free Will in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart   Ã‚  Ã‚   The tragic story of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart offers many examples of Igbo beliefs regarding free will and fate. Religious life for the Igbo was thoroughly intertwined with secular life. According to the text, the Igbo believed in fate; that nothing happened by chance as every happenstance was the result of Chukwu or Gods will. Yet the Igbo also believed that ancestors, lesser gods, and their own chi or personalRead MoreThe Book Things Fall Apart Is One Of Africa’S Most Significant1601 Words   |  7 PagesThe book Things Fall Apart is one of Africa’s most significant works of literature. Because of its unique spin on European colonialism from an African tribesman’s perspective and its eloquent use of Igbo vocabulary, the volume continually draws in readers from various backgrounds and locations. Attention to detail and foreshadowing are common throughout the book; zeroing in on certain motifs and themes relating to African c ulture. One motif examined throughout the novel is chi. Author Chinua AchebeRead MoreExamples Of Free Will In Macbeth1015 Words   |  5 PagesIs one’s life dominated by fate or free will? Perhaps one’s future has been predetermined by some external force or perhaps one has the choice to pave their future. These ideas are further explored in the the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and the play Macbeth by Shakespeare. Things Fall Apart is about a man named Okonkwo’s struggle between the changes that arise with the arrival of white missionaries in the villages of his home in Nigeria, the conflicts that arise between the arrival ofRead MoreFahrenheit 451 Comparison Essay1698 Words   |  7 Pageswant to be on--what they want to be remembered for. Whether that’s fighting for transgender rights as can be seen in the 21st century, or fighting to be considered a free man as can be seen in the 19th century. This fight can be seen throughout history boo ks and literary classics such as Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. In Fahrenheit 451, the main character, Guy Montag is fighting against the technological revolution taking place in the 23rd century. He battles withRead MoreThings Fall Apart : A Great African Tragedy1727 Words   |  7 PagesPeter Thomas Mid-Term Paper English 3510 10-12-17 Things Fall Apart: A Great African Tragedy Tragedy is not new to Africa, precolonial, colonial, or postcolonial. Despite this, the continent of Africa and the countries within are not known for tragic literature. If any single work can make African literature, especially African tragedy stand out, Things Fall Apart can. Things Fall Apart fits the genre of tragedy due to Okonkwo’s role as a tragic character. He exhibits all of the traits of the tragicRead More Moving as a Child Essays999 Words   |  4 PagesMoving as a Child Some things in life are just meant to happen. Fate brought me to the seat I am sitting at, in this university, miles and miles from where I was born. I never thought I would move. The idea was inconceivable for an eight-year-old girl. Life was an endless cycle of days spent chasing butterflies, catching ladybugs, and blowing apart dandelions while nights were full of stars, crickets, and peace. I have learned since that moment that fate has a different idea in mind,Read MoreThe Death Of A Salesman And Oedipus The King797 Words   |  4 Pageshis questionable and mysterious death, to Oedipus dynamic and complex choices and kingly personality that determines his fate. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgement that leads to his/her downfall. In other words, even though both characters made incredible contributions and left a very noble legacy, their choices and decisions determined their ultimate fate. In today’s world tragic heroes are commonly prese nt, with the increasingly bad error that causes hamartia. Therefore, bothRead MoreOedipus, an Ironic Tragic Hero1034 Words   |  5 PagesTragic Hero Much of the tragedy of the play comes from the irony involved in fate Oedipus’s life. Being a tragic hero Oedipus is on a quest for truth, during his quest he realizes that if he continues on his quest for truth he will cause himself great harm yet he continues his pursuit for truth. The audience is seized by the ironic nature of this play, and the tragic nature of Oedipus’s life. Oedipus is lines up against fate and takes steps to try not to fulfill the prophecy that he will kill his fatherRead MoreThings Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe1204 Words   |  5 Pagesroles in determining a person’s life in Umuofia society. Sometimes a man with sheer force of will cannot change his future through hard work. One of the main conflicts in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is the clash between Okonkwo’s determination to succeed, his free will, and fate – which seems to have less appealing things in mind. Okonkwo’s will plays a major factor in determinin g his future; he chooses to kill Ikemefuna with his own hands, he chooses to kill a government official, and in theRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Things Fall Apart Themes1246 Words   |  5 PagesLiterary Analysis of Things Fall Apart Themes Masculinity â€Å"Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper† (Achebe 13). Okonkwo is the definition of hypermasculinity. As someone who condemns all things feminine, he never learned how to express his feelings, leading to him lashing out in violence instead. It is important to note his treatment of the women in his life as well. Okonkwo’s poor, often times abusive relationship

IRA Peace Settlement Essay Example For Students

IRA Peace Settlement Essay The Irish Republican Army, also known as the IRA, is a parliamentary and nationalist organization that opposes the connection of Northern Ireland to Great Britain. The IRA is also dedicated to the creation of a single unified Irish state. The name IRA derived from the veterans of the Easter Battles of 1916. The battle was fought for support of Irish independence. Accordingly the IRA became the political division of the Sinn Fein party. The political leaders of Britain and Ireland, negotiated a treaty that incorporated 26 of Ireland’s counties as the Irish Free State. The remainder of Ireland, remained part of the United Kingdom. The Irish Republican Army began to decline after Eamon de Valera became a prime minister and took over the Irish government. The IRA and the Irish state were in constant conflict, during the 1930s and 1940s. The IRA started to concentrate on Northern Ireland in the 1950s. The IRA tried to gain favor from Northern Ireland, but failed. In 1969 the IRA started new radical social reforms in Northern Ireland, and the British government couldn’t overcome them after a dozen years.This crisis also allowed the IRA to make a drastic comeback. The Irish Republican Army was split into two groups.The officials, which promoted a Socialist Ireland by democratic means, and provisionals, that promoted terrorism.In 1972 the Provisional IRA’s terrorist tactics led to the downfall of the Northern Ireland government. From 1972 to 1994 the Provisional IRA maintained their campaign on terminating British victims in Northern Ireland and Britain. On August 31, 1994, the Irish Republican Army announced a cease-fire. This would affect the 25-year-old battle against British domination of Northern Ireland. This cease-fire came about from several years of confidential meetings between the IRA and the British government. This arrangement for peace is called the â€Å"Downing Street Declaration.†The controversy between Northern Ireland and Britain began with Roman Catholic objections against favoritism by the protestant majority in the country. British troops were sent into Northern Ireland to patrol the country. They still remained there in 1994. The Catholic minority wanted a reunion with the Republic of Ireland, which was mainly Catholic. The Protestants of Northern Ireland resisted the reunification. The IRA gave no amount of time for the duration of the cease fire, nor did they surrender their weapons. There were two earlier cease-fires in 1972 and 1975, but they failed to last. Nationalists, supporters of the Irish Republican Army and others have grown tired of the Northern Ireland conflict, and celebrated the announcement of the cease-fire. The IRA has commanded its units to obey a complete halt of military actions. In the first public meeting between Gerry Adams (the leader of Sinn Fein), Albert Reynolds (the Irish Republic’s prime minister), and John Hume (the leader of Northern Ireland’s Catholic nationalist), the British government was not pleased with the stating of the cease-fire. The British government was warily optimistic about the conference. A political scandal led to the collapse of the Irish government in Dublin. Throughout the years, Dublin acted as a halfway house between the Irish, British and American governments. The prime minister Albert Reynolds was replaced by John Bruton. A terrorist, loyalist and Protestant militia called the Ulster Defense Association shot and killed a Catholic man. The loyalists work with the sympathetic Protestant officers in the Royal Ulster Constabulary.This proved that the IRA was not the only forceful group in the Northern Ireland crisis. The Protestant militia soon after the killing called a cease-fire. This group was responsible for more deaths than the IRA, in the two years before the cease-fire was called. Ian Paisley, a leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, protested that the IRA must surrender their arms before any contact between the IRA and the British government can proceed. Paisley also continued to disapprove the idea of representatives of Sinn Fein to take part in all the meetings dealing with the future of Northern Ireland. Minds Are Open Only When Hearts Are Open Argumentative EssayThe political leaders of Britain and Ireland agreed to a peace agreement that would end violence. It gave the Catholic minority more privileges in the north, and it confirmed that the Protestants would not be dominated by the Catholic south. It addressed the largest reform in Ireland’s political structures since it was split in 1921. The result of the arrangement took place on June 25, 1998. This also created a Northern Ireland Assembly, a council for the North and the South. The people of Ireland voted in support of the Good Friday peace agreements, that assured adjustment in the way Northern Ireland will be governed. Majority of both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic voted yes. To test the peace agreement the â€Å"Real IRA† planted a bomb, which killed 29 peoples and injured hundreds. The â€Å"Real IRA† apologized for the attack and announced a truce of its own. More killings continued within the Protestant and Catholic communities, and this raised the concern that the violence would continue despite the peace process. The Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998 reached an accord for an all-party cabinet. This gave way for the new system of government. The plan was put forth by David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, and his deputy from the Catholic Social Democratic and Labor Party, Seamus Mallon. The plan was approved by a vote, but it was almost ruined by Protestant deputies who wanted the IRA to start decommissioning its large weapon stashes before the Assembly undertook power. On April 1, 1999, Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, and Bertie Ahern, Irish Prime Minister, predicted they would find a solution to the Protestant-Catholic Administration for Northern Ireland. Ahern and Blair tried to convince the other parties to agree on a â€Å"national day of reconciliation.†This would start the means of disarmament for the IRA and other British gangs. David Trimble would not get his party to support Sinn Fein until they would disarm. Mitchel McLaughlin, Sinn Fein chairman, claimed that the agreement does not require the IRA to disarm. McLaughlin also stated that negotiations on disarmament could be brought about if Sinn Fein politicians could have power in the new government. After four nights of negotiations at the all-party peace talks in Belfast no solution was found, and Tony Blair called for a break. The Anglo-Irish summit was reconvened on April 14, 1999. The political leaders of Irish and British governments tried to break the deadlock over the issue of disarmament. There was no proof that pointed to an early progress between Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists conflict. The issue of disarmament was the biggest conflict since the Good Friday agreement. At Belfast on May 3, 1999, the Irish and British governments, led by Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, again tried to negotiate a new plan to end the stalemate. The plan would organization a transitional executive made up of ministers from all parties, and it would have six-month limit for settlement on the issue of disarmament. The proposal also stated that the Sinn Fein party would have until May 2000 to disarm, and all arms have to be shed before entering the executive. Though the cease-fires are maintaining, there are occasional cases of violence from the rivals of the Good Friday agreement. Also on May 3, 1999, Bertie Ahern denied information that the Irish and the British were contemplating on a plan to form a new executive. The IRA has dismissed the pleas to disarm by comparing disarmament to degrading surrender. Years of negotiating and devising new plans to solve the Northern Ireland crisis has failed to be solved. After solving the problem of the cease-fire, the problem of disarmament still consists. Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern have not yet found a solution for the issue of disarmament. The Irish Republican Army believes disarmament to be surrender and the Ulster Unionists believes disarmament to be a scare tactic. Therefore, giving each other no choice but to disagree and stagnate.

IRA Is Force Justified Essays - Irish Republicanism,

IRA : Is Force Justified? The Irish Republican Army is not justified in using force to achieve its aims because the Irish Republican Army (IRA) represents the minority of the population in Northern Ireland. The IRA also is not justified in using force because using force does not work and it turns their supporters against them. The IRA's goals are political and political rights should be achieved through political methods, not by force. In cases where the majority of the population is not fairly represented in the government and peaceful protests and demonstrations have not been successful, then resorting to armed resistance is justified. For example, in the case of the American Revolution, the colonists' armed resistance was justified because they represented the majority, and they had already tried to gain independence peacefully through protests and demonstrations and they probably would have never have gained their independence otherwise. Another example when armed resistance is justified is in South Africa, where the Black majority has been trying for years to gain equal rights. In the case of the IRA, even though it has tried to gain independence from Great Britain through demonstrations and protests, it does not represent the majority of people in Northern Ireland. Therefore, the IRA is not justified in using force to achieve it's aims. In order to understand the IRA, one has to understand the history of Ireland. In 1641 a ten-year rebellion began in Ireland to gain it's independence from England. England had been occupying Ireland for centuries. The rebellion cost 60,000 Irish lives. For the next 150 years, Protestants dominated Ireland. In 1801 the Act of Union joined Ireland with Great Britain, forming the United Kingdom. In 1829 the English Parliament passed an act giving the Catholics in Ireland political equality for most purposes. Later, Ireland set forth to eliminate the Act of Union. The Catholics in Southern Ireland wanted Home Rule, but the Protestants in Northern Ireland wanted to keep the Act of Union with Great Britain. On Easter Monday, 1916, Irish volunteers armed themselves and united with the Citizen army and staged an unsuccessful rebellion in Dublin, a town in Northern Ireland. The leaders of the rebellion were executed by the English, which made the Irish nationalists mad at England. In 1918 el ections took place electing members of Sein Fein, the Irish revolutionary party, into the seats of the English Parliament. Instead of taking their seats, they set up a new Parliament in Ireland, and proclaimed Ireland's independence from Great Britain. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was developed when the Irish volunteers tried to defend themselves from the British, who tried to put down the new Parliament. In 1921 a truce was signed between Great Britain and the IRA called the Anglo-Irish treaty. It gave Home Rule to Southern Ireland, which was later called the Irish Free State. Northern Protestant Ireland was left a colony of Great Britain because that is what the majority of the people in Northern Ireland wanted. The Irish Catholics of Southern Ireland voted their approval of the treaty. Some Catholics remained in Northern Ireland when the border was made to separate the North and the South. The Catholics in Northern Ireland continued to want unity with Southern Ireland and inde pendence from Great Britain, so the IRA remained intact fighting for independence. The Catholics do have many reasons to want political unity and equal rights in Northern Ireland. In the past in Northern Ireland, the Catholics were convicted of crimes without being tried, and their religion determined their housing and their jobs, which for the Catholics, usually meant they lived in the ghettos and had the ?left-over? jobs. ?(Catholic) housing was poor. They suffered from the usual forms of anti-Catholic discrimination. Their economic prospects were bleak.? As recently as 1985 unemployment in Northern Ireland was 21.8 percent compared to 17.2 percent in the South. The IRA does have reasons to be mad at the Protestants of Northern Ireland, but terrorism will not solve their problems. Terrorism will only bring them farther from their aims, and terrorism is never justified as a means to solve problems. Great Britain has been trying for several years to appease the people of Ireland and to gain peace.