Affirmative Action: Friend or Foe?

Affirmative Action: Friend or foe?

Many people view affirmative action in different ways. Some feel that affirmative action is positive; while other individuals fill that affirmative action only brings problems. Two examples of differing views on affirmative action are the views of Shelby Steele, and Goodwin Liu. Both Steele and Liu have their own views on affirmative action that are based on not only their own background and personal experience but also based on different statistical information. Steele in his essay "Affirmative Action: The Price of Preference," feels that while affirmative action can be good for the groups that it is intended to help it can be a negative "Faustian bargain," and in general he opposes affirmative action (531). Liu on the other hand states in his essay "The Causation Fallacy: Bakke and the Basic Arithmetic of Selective Admissions," that the effects of affirmative action are in fact minimal to Caucasian students that are excluded from the admissions process (536).

Both Steele and Liu have some things in common in their own life experiences. Steele and Liu both grew up as minorities (530). Steele and Liu both were able to earn upper level degrees (530, 535). Both Steele and Liu are men, which also may color their opinions compared to other people (530, 535). Steele and Liu both have written many articles (530, 536).

Steele has also had many different experiences to that of Liu. One example of the differences that would likely change his perception of things is that Steele was half African American and half Caucasian (530). Steele did not attend prestigious universities though he did receive not only a Masters degree in Sociology but also a Ph.D. in English (530). Steele also has experience in documentaries and received an Emmy for his work Seven Days in Bensonhurst (530).