Why Question

Why do do some Americans view Affirmative Action as reverse discrimination?

I believe that affirmative action can not be reverse discrimination because African Americans are the minority and have been oppressed in the United States of America for over 500 years. Affirmative action was set in place to give African Americans a fair chance at getting into schools and getting jobs it in no way was meant to discriminate against Whites. For example, how can you be discriminated against if 5% of admissions for a college is set aside for African Americans the other 95% will most likely be White middle class Americans so in my opinion that is not discrimination.

The Experts
A liberal essay rebutting the myth
that affirmative action is reverse discrimination.
Friday, March 19, 1999 6:16:40 AM

Affirmative Action is not meant to help blacks because of the color of their skin, but because they deserve compensation for past and continuing injustices. Opponents may criticize the wisdom of how this compensation is meted out, but they cannot question the principle of compensatory damages, which enjoys a long tradition in our society.

Pros
The pros of Affirmative Action is that it gave African Americans the chance to excel that they were denied since the days of slavery. With Affirmative Action African Americans were able to go to universities and attain professional positions that their grandparents had only dreamed of.

Cons:
Many White Americans feel that Affirmative is reverse racism and that they are being discriminated against.