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From: mom@sftri.UUCP (Mark Modig)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Affirmative Action, Reverse Discrimination
Message-ID: <378@sftri.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 15-Mar-85 11:27:55 EST
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Posted: Fri Mar 15 11:27:55 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 16-Mar-85 06:01:24 EST
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> Periodically peeking in on the debate about Affirmative Action
> it seems to me that both sides have distorted the basic purpose
> of Affirmative Action and its justification.
> The basic purpose of Affirmative Action is *not* to promote
> blacks or women at the expense of white males.  The purpose of
> Affirmative Action is to insure that these groups get a fair shake.

Unfortunately, a "fair shake" is a phrase that means different
things to different people.

> *THIS* is the reason for Affirmative Action: to counter people's
> natural prejudices about blacks and women so that they begin to think:
> am I choosing this person because they are the best qualified or simply
> because they happen to fit my preconceived notions of the abilities of
> certain social groups.

However, this terrific idea is too often translated into repressive
and destructive measures, like quotas.  I personally feel you can
make a great deal more progress and cause a lot less damage if you
try to educate people rather than force them to do something.

Mark Modig
ihnp4!sftri!mom