FREE ESSAY ON DISCRIMINATION

DISCRIMINATION

Discrimination
The topic of discrimination can be a very sensitive one to discuss. The world has always,
and probably will always be faced with this problem. In all countries there is most
likely at least one type of blatant discrimination that affects different groups of
people.
There are several different definitions for discrimination. The definition given in class
is: the denial of opportunity, and/or equal rights towards a certain group of people. I
believe that this definition is 100% correct. I think that discrimination is the denial
of opportunity or equal rights toward a specific group of people. I also believe that
discrimination is not just towards blacks, or any other minority groups specifically. I
will also expand later in the paper that I believe discrimination can be toward any group
of people: black/white, majority/minority, or man/woman.
There are many causes for discrimination. Among those discussed in class is the size of
the group. This simply states that discrimination may be a direst result of the fear of
one group being so large that it "takes over the rest of the groups." According to this
theory, people discriminate in order to keep their group of people in command.
Another theory is that discrimination is a result of competition. It means that all
groups are in continuous competition with each other, and that one group's success
directly causes another group's failure.
A power threat is another theoretical reason of unfair treatment. This states that
discriminatory actions may be taken on a minority group due to its perception of power.
The fourth idea discussed is that of status consciousness. For example, you are walking
down the street. In your path you spot a group of Hispanic teenagers dressed in baggy
clothes and bandanas. Your first thought might be to move across the street because of
this group of people. This is a perfect example of the status conscious theory. I believe
that this type of discrimination is based mainly on the stereotypes that we place on
certain groups of people; in this example, we might think that this group of teens are in
a gang. Defined, status conscious is the consciousness and awareness of a minority group
with which one comes into contact.
The final theory is the social distance discrimination theory. Stated, it says that
discrimination may be the result of the location or distance put between two groups of
people. An example of this would be a family living on the "wrong side of the tracks."
This family may get treated differently than another family due to their geographic
location.
America has always had its share of problems when it comes to discrimination. It seems
like almost every time that you turn around, another lawsuit is being filed against some
corporation for discrimination. 
The U.S. government has made attempts to help with this discrimination. Things like
"affirmative action" have been put into practice in order to cut down on this
discrimination. However, in my opinion, affirmative action has done nothing but make this
problem worse. It does, in fact, help out some minority groups, but on the other hand, I
believe that in some cases it ends up discriminating against the majority. It seems that
most affirmative actions we read about occur in universities, making it appear that only
in school settings is discrimination a problem. It may be a problem in universities, but
it is not confined to learning institutions.
An example of university-related discrimination that called the affirmative action into
an accounting happened not long ago at the University of Texas at Austin, when a white
American applicant brought a law suit against the school for refusing her admission. Her
undergraduate grades and entrance exam scores were above average in comparison to the
other applicants. On the other hand, the University did grant admission to an
African-American applicant whose scores were significantly under the average. As a result
of this lawsuit, the University has done away with the affirmative action policy. 
This is not the only example of discrimination of this sort, however. Admission policies
for almost all American universities have changed in order to reach a very diverse group
of students. Examples of these are:
At the University of California at Berkeley, black and Hispanic students are up to twenty
times more likely to be accepted for admission than Asian American applicants who have
the same academic qualifications.
At Ivy League colleges, incoming freshmen have average grade scores close to 4.0 and
average SATs of 1,250 to 1,300. According to admissions officials, however, several of
these schools admit black, Hispanic, and American Indian students with grade averages as
low as 2.5 and SAT aggregates "in the 700 to 800 range."(D'Souza, p. 232)
This is not all. Pennsylvania State University, offers financial incentives for black
students who choose to attend. The University offers any black student who maintains a
grade average of C to C+ throughout the year a check for $580. If the student maintains
an average of anything above that, he will receive $1,160. This financial aid is offered
to any black student, no matter his or her economical status. Neither whites nor any
other minority students are eligible for this assistance. (D'Souza, p. 232)
Stephen Carter, a graduate of Stanford came forward outraged when he applied to Harvard
Law School and was rejected. This, however, was not what angered him. What he was
insulted by was the fact that a few days after he was denied acceptance, he received a
telephone call from the officials at Harvard telling him that there had been a mix up.
"An official explained, "We assumed from your record that you were white." Another noted
that the school had recently obtained "additional information that should have been
counted in your favor," namely, the fact that Carter was Black." (D'Souza, p. 233)
Most Universities seek to promote "pluralism" and "diversity" on campus by setting up and
funding separate institutions for minority groups; thus one finds black student unions,
black dormitories, and "theme houses," black fraternities and sororities, black cultural
centers, black dining sections, even a black yearbook. (D'Souza, p. 235)
I can't help but feel that these actions are taken to an extreme. I feel that women and
minorities should absolutely have equal rights in comparison to the "white male."
However, I feel that these examples that I have listed destroy that equality. By changing
their acceptance policies, I feel that these universities have given unfair and
preferential treatment to certain groups of people, while denying equal rights to
others.
Those opposed to affirmative action think that it is a form of reverse discrimination in
which members of a minority are favored over whites who may often be more qualified than
the minority applicant. Research shows that some reverse discrimination does occur but
mostly when the "bias carries few personal consequences for the individual favoring
minority groups." (Davidio, A60) In situations where there are personal consequences,
discrimination is still more likely to occur.
In the last thirty years, surveys indicate white Americans have become less openly racist
against blacks. Some would suggest that overt racism has evolved into more subtle
"aversive racism." In trying not to act in an openly negative way, indirectly some may
favor whites over blacks (or other minority groups).
...an employer influences by feelings of aversive racism might subtly re-evaluate the
most important qualifications for a job, depending on the race of different applicant.
If, say, a white applicant had broader experience and a black applicant had more
up-to-date training, the employer would decide that experience was more important; if the
white applicant had more recent training and the black more experience, the employer
would decide that experience was less important. Thus, the aversive racist would find a
way to hire the white applicant without admitting to himself or herself that racial bias
played a role in the choice. (Dovidio, A60)
I believe that it is the responsibility of everyone, black and whites, men and women,
majorities and minorities to do away with this problem of discrimination. I do not
believe that the government can pass any bill that will abolish this problem. I do not
think that any university can make certain rules for admissions that can do away with
this problem. I do think that the only way to stop this problem is for everyone to have
an open mind. People need to realize that there are no victims in society. The only way
you can become a victim is if you make yourself one. Everybody has to come to the
conclusion that every person is equal, and that every person, no matter what color, race,
sex, or religion, should be treated that way.
Bibliography
References
Davidio, John. (1997). 'Aversive" racism and the need for affirmative action. The
Chronicle of Higher Education. A60.
D'Souza, Dinesh. (1995).The victim's revolution on campus. In J. G. Haworth and C. F.
Conrad (Eds.), Revisioning Curriculum in Higher Education (pp. 231 - 244). Needham
Heights: Simon & Schuster.