They argue individuals are forever labeled, and thus their effectiveness in the workplace or in school is undermined. The bottom line is that only excellence will do. The system we have today is crushing. It crushes the spirit. The government should give people skills, not give them contracts.
Perceptions are one thing, reality is quite another.
Affirmative action programs cost little, at least in comparison to social services and in some areas, such as in contracting, it hardly affects the vast majority of Americans. When whites are polled and asked whether they have ever lost a job or a promotion, or been denied college admission as a result of affirmative action, few say yes. Its anecdotal evidence versus the facts, says Dawn Bennett-Alexander, who teaches at the University of Georgia School of Law. Anecdotal evidence is not right in the first place. Like most whites, these students think of affirmative action in terms of fairness.