Affirmative Action, otherwise known as positive discrimination, is to render special opportunity for the welfare of the disadvantaged people who endure from discrimination. This concept was first introduced in the United States in the 1960s to fight against racial discrimination in the employment process. As it is intended to help defined-minority people getting opportunities, it fails to include actual minorities, the poor, as Affirmative Action becomes one-sided for the racial discrimination besides other minorities that resides all over. As a result, the concept of Affirmative Action becomes the subject of several court cases, and it has been oppugned upon its integral legitimacy. Richard Rodriguez in his “None of This Is Fair” confronts his realization of the unfairness of the Affirmative Action. The irony and the ineffectiveness of Affirmative Action become backtrack to the society. Undoubtedly, Affirmative Action is for the advancement of the less recognized group; however, it affects the growth and privileges of the other unrecognized people who might be the poor white students and disadvantaged people.
Through his work, Rodriguez expresses his aversion for the inequality that devalues the achievement of people who enjoys the privileges of Affirmative Action. He finds irony behind the biased motives and ineffectiveness of the Affirmative Action programs. Even though Rodriguez is a beneficiary of it, his stance on Affirmative Action proves that, the effect of Affirmative Action in USA is reversed and has no advancement. Affirmative Action affects the growth and privileges of the other unrecognized people who might be the poor white students or “seriously disadvantaged, not simply Mexican-Americans, butallwhite, black, brownlack the confidenceto assume their right to a good education” (Rodriguez, 536).
As a Hispanic American, Rodriguez at first enjoys the privileges of Affirmative Action that provides him with better education, offers job opportunities, and provides an opportunity to go to Washington Conference. Besides everything, he finds the irony behind the intention of Affirmative Action and feels guilty for his selfishness, as he gets advantages from others’ disadvantages: “The disadvantages of others permitted my promotion; the absence of many Mexican-Americans from academic life allowed my designation as a “minority student” (Rodriguez , 534).
In the name of Affirmative Action, the minority groups in sex, religion, and ethnicity get special considerations in education, job opportunities, and rewards of government contracts. It takes time for Rodriguez to realize the unfair treatment of this program. His teacher advised him when he takes advantage of his color. He can realize the irony behind the motives of the Affirmative Action when he discussed it with his fellow white student, as he shares the story of his Jewish parents who received discrimination at his age. This incident makes Rodriguez feel guilty for the privileges he gets as a minority student. Thus, he rejects to accept the Yale University job spot. Even though he personally is benefitted as a Hispanic American, he cannot accept the irony behind the intention of the Affirmative Action. Only thing that he wants to oppose in this program is that the ethnicity should not be the only consideration of the Affirmative Action, as many bright students are highly in need of help that other minority group may not.
The ineffectiveness of the Affirmative Action undervalues the achievements of the people who may not be from the minority group as framed, but highly in need of help to be recognized in the society. One-sided approach of the programs of Affirmative Action makes it a race-biased program. If the Affirmative Action offers a minority student to learn in a college that is difficult for him or her, it will increase the dropout rate, as it is not given to the proper person to do things perfectly. If the same opportunity is given to a person who waits for a chance, he or she will come out with excellence. Therefore, it can never make the equality in the society by giving opportunity to the people who do not properly utilize it. Affirmative Action is intended to find equality; on the contrary, it is “unfair to white students” (Rodriguez , 536).
Affirmative Action occurs when certain ethnic groups are discriminated in the name of race, religion, and sex. However, Affirmative Action leads to backtrack of everything by affecting the other group of people who do not come under minority group and need help. The ineffectiveness of Affirmative Action is clearly when a graduate student bursts out in anguish and complains “None of This Is Fair. You’ve done some good work, but so have I You get all of the breaks” (Rodriguez, 536). Thus, the ineffectiveness of the Affirmative Action prevents it from the path of advancement of the ethnic group and the society.
He adds a few words in the letters he has sent to several schools: “I cannot claim to represent disadvantaged Mexican-American. The very fact that I am in a position to apply for this job should make that clean” (Rodriguez, 534). These words prove that he does not want to misuse the offerings of Affirmative Action, as he had already gained many privileges in the name of minority student. All he wants is to help some other people who really in need of help by rejecting all the offers he got. Through several strong claims, Rodriguez confidently proves that the Affirmative Action can never help to get advancement in the community and society, as it becomes the race-biased program. Obviously, none of this is fair.
Works Cited
Rodriguez, Richard. “None of This Is Fair.” The Prentice Hall Reader. 8th ed. George Miller. Boston: Prentice Hall, 533 – 537. Print.
