Transcending the Color Line by Bobby E. Mills

Author:Bobby E. Mills [Mills, Bobby E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Discrimination, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy, Ethnic Studies, American, African American & Black Studies
ISBN: 9781630473174
Google: nYpaBAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Published: 2014-08-25T05:43:36+00:00

BIBLIOGRAPHY

M. Banton and J. Harwood. The Race Concept. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1975.

R. Blauner. Racial Oppression in America. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1972.

A. Montagu. Race and I.Q. London: Oxford University Press, 1975.

W. J. Wilson. Power, Racism, and Privilege. New York: Free Press, 1976.

15 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: METHOD OR IDEOLOGY?

Professional educators and social scientists in American society have naively assumed that the goal of both the socio-political-economic system and the educational system is the maximization of every individual’s talents. This notion is consistent with the classical view of mass education as a force for personal and societal liberation. Indeed, social democracy is for an informed, intelligent citizenry. The dominant theme in educational philosophy is the meritocratic ideal—that is, the notion that the most talented and qualified individuals rise to and achieve educational and occupational success.

In a meritocratic system, the overriding assumption is free will—the idea that an individual is limited only by desire, intelligence, the motivation to achieve, and above all human willpower. These notions are the cornerstone of the American dream. Therefore, the notions of mass education and the “melting pot” theory are highly consistent with the image maker’s ideal of “rags to riches.” Thus, individuals who do not achieve educational and occupational success have only themselves to blame (the “blame the victim” theory).

Unfortunately, the American dream has become, in some instances, social justification for structural social inequalities. For many, the American dream is a dream deferred, and for too many, a total nightmare. The existence of a seemingly permanent underclass is a social testament to this fact, because at least 20 percent of America’s population at any given time lives in poverty. It is the denial of the American dream to a large segment of Americans that has engendered the debate over affirmative action and so-called reverse discrimination: the method versus the ideology.

As with the 1954 Supreme Court desegregation decision, reactionary cultural elites are clouding the issue by overemphasizing methods, confusing methods with ideology as though they are one and the same. Initially, affirmative action was viewed as a method to remedy the historical victimization of blacks by American society. Without a doubt, blacks are denied equal access to developmental opportunities. Shifting the debate from the methods by which the society remedies structural inequality to the ideology about discrimination allows whites to view themselves as the victims of discrimination rather than the perpetrators of discrimination. To be sure, no one is in favor of “self-inflicting” discrimination, but if the other fellow is discriminated against, that’s alright—especially if from such discriminatory processes one derives psychological and material benefits.

Had whites, as a social group, been as zealous in their defense of the integrity of the Constitution and the human rights of others as they have been to scream reverse discrimination, there would never have been a slave stratification system, nor would institutional racism continue to exist in the twenty-first century. Indeed, the sins of parents are always visited upon their children and future generations. Sin is a spiritual as well as social concept that implies accountability in terms of social cost.

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