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. Discrimination is the denial of opportunity or equal rights toward a specific group of people. 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 these groups 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