Affirmative Action: Public OPinion Vs. Policy

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America creates separate
groups, which "Affirmative Action issue taps a fundamental cleavage in American
Society" (Gamson and Modigliani 170)--each with their own view of affirmative
action on different sides of the line. Government attempts to create policy
based upon the voice of the people but affirmative action seems to present an
almost un-solvable dilemma. Traditionally, it had been a policy that was
greatly scrutinized for its quotas and alleged unfairness towards Blacks, but at
the same time it had also been praised for its inherent ability to help
minorities gets jobs they deserve but could not obtain otherwise. So how do we
reach a "happy medium" so-to-speak? In American political culture, it appears
as though individualism and egalitarianism are values that find themselves on
opposite ends of the political battlefield.

In a complex world of political ideology and political culture are sets of
values and principles that are widely endorsed by politicians, ...

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and the
availability pool." Labor Department officials announced that "because of the
deplorably low rate of employment among minority groups" in the industry, they
would set up similar plans in other major cities (Gamson and Modigliani 139).

Today, without a college degree will definitely decrease the chance of upward
mobility. Public universities give preferences to minorities based on race and
gender. Many private universities, including Harvard, Chicago and Stanford,
have given preferences to the children of alumni, faculty, and athletes. This
is not to say that public universities give the same preferential treatment, but
it goes to show that public institutions use ...

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