Affirmative Action Debate

       The debate on Affirmative Action this Monday was the first encounter that I have had with the subject. One side of the debate fought for Affirmative Action, which calls for consideration of race or sex with employment, education, etc. This position takes into account that, in order for equal opportunity to be a reality, we have to realize that people are born with unequal opportunities. We have to be aware of these inequalities so we can give the people born with fewer opportunities a leg up in order for them to have the same chances as everyone else. This is a valid argument. Coming from a very privileged home, I can say that I have more opportunities then most and many of them I take advantage of. Some people could work all their lives for something that was just given to me on the basis of the family that I was born into. The other side of the debate was against Affirmative Action. This side argued that we should discard the race or sex cards because if you give them special opportunity then that is just as racist or sexist as giving them a disadvantage. This is just reverse racism or sexism. This side wants to erase all of the history and past afflictions that have taken place in this country. In my opinion, this history cannot be overlooked and we have to take into account that there are people that are born into underprivileged homes. I do think that, instead of focusing on race and gender, we should also consider family income. I believe that people need to work hard to be successful, but I also believe that a child born to incompetent parents should not suffer for their laziness.