By Max Frankel (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) ... To reward people for something beyond merit is as American as apple pie. Universities routinely bend a bit to admit the children of alumni, acknowledging with a wink that this fosters loyalty and annual contributions. Few objected when "diversity" in a Northern college meant saving a few places for Southern or … [Read more...] about “Reaffirm the Affirmative” by Max Frankel (May-June 1995 P&R Issue)
Symposium Responses
“Affirmative Action, by Another Name” by Steven A. Holmes (May-June 1995 P&R Issue)
By Steven A. Holmes (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) "Simply telling a defendant to go forth and sin no more does little or nothing to address the unfair advantage it has already gained," Judge Sporkin said recently, in declaring that the settlement did little to help Microsoft's competitors catch up. They had been the victims of what the Justice Department said … [Read more...] about “Affirmative Action, by Another Name” by Steven A. Holmes (May-June 1995 P&R Issue)
“Affirmative Action: The Army’s Success…” by Charles Moskos (May-June 1995 P&R Issue)
By Charles Moskos (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) ... There is an institution where affirmative action works and works well-the U.S. Army. Not that the Army is a racial Utopia by any means. But nowhere else in American society has racial integration gone as far or has black achievement been so pronounced. Indeed, the Army is the only institution in America … [Read more...] about “Affirmative Action: The Army’s Success…” by Charles Moskos (May-June 1995 P&R Issue)
“Affirmative Action: The Questions To Be Asked” by William L. Taylor (May-June 1995 P&R Issue)
By William L. Taylor (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) ... The questions to be asked include the following: Has affirmative action worked? Is affirmative action still needed? Is affirmative action unfair to others; does it undermine the merit principle? Are the social costs of affirmative action too high? What would be the cost to society of abandoning … [Read more...] about “Affirmative Action: The Questions To Be Asked” by William L. Taylor (May-June 1995 P&R Issue)
“Racism Has Its Privileges” by Roger Wilkins (May-June 1995 P&R Issue)
By Roger Wilkins (Click here to view the entire P&R issue) ...Affirmative action, as I understand it, was not designed to punish anyone; it was, rather-as a result of a clear-eyed look at how America actually works-an attempt to enlarge opportunity for everybody. As amply documented in the 1968 Kerner Commission report on racial disorders, when left to their own devices, … [Read more...] about “Racism Has Its Privileges” by Roger Wilkins (May-June 1995 P&R Issue)
