I am sure the people who brought us affirmative action were thinking for the good of all us. There is no doubt that they had the best of intentions. I would even agree that affirmative action has really helped.
But enough now. It is a different world today, thank God. Affirmative action was essentially to ensure justice, to vouchsafe everyone the chance, and yes, maybe even that little push, to succeed.
"The terms affirmative action and positive action refer to policies that take race, ethnicity, or gender into consideration in an attempt to promote equal opportunity. The focus of such policies ranges from employment and education to public contracting and health programs. The impetus towards affirmative action is twofold: to maximize diversity in all levels of society, along with its presumed benefits, and to redress perceived disadvantages due to overt, institutional, or involuntary discrimination." This is how Wikipedia.com describes Affirmative Action. An attempt to promote equal opportunity. Operative term - 'EQUAL'.
And now its time to be fair again. Everyone is equal, and everyone needs to be treated that way. Let us all start off on the same footing. You should not get the job because of your ethnicity, but because you are the perfect candidate. How can it be any kind of encouragement to know that you got to be where you are because of some quirk of fate? That you are unfairly reaping the rewards for the past pains of those in your community?
Imagine a situation where two positions are open at a level. And it happens that people of two different races are appointed. It is going to be very difficult for them to consider the other an equal if even one of them thinks he or she got the position (even in part) because of the color of their skin. It is not fair to either to them to be placed in that position.
In India we have the curse of 'Reservation'. A certain percentage of all government jobs, and admissions to government colleges, are reserved for members of backward classes (yes, that is exactly what they are officially called! A classic example of adding insult to injury). Initially established after Independence for 10 years, it has become a political tool and has been renewed every time it has come for review. The Mandal Commission in 1979 was set up to assess the situation of the socially and educationally backward. The commission used the 1930 census figures for a sub-caste, known as the 'Other Backward Classes' and classified 1,257 communities as backward! The OBC population is now at 52% !!! You have to be really unlucky not to be classified into a quota. And if you do crack that entrance exam fully - just pray some OBC does not decide to throw in an application as well.
No one in India is an Untouchable anymore. Why are we still holding onto the concept by discriminating between classes of ages ago? The caste system has been rightly eradicated. Why do we continue with the inequity by officially naming them 'Scheduled Castes and Tribes'. How can that be right? If Gandhi was alive today he would have it stricken off right away.
Mira Kumar recently became the Speaker of the Lok Sabha of India. I am happy she got the position on the basis of what she as accomplished in her political career and not just because she was born into a 'classified' family. She deserves the respect she will so readily get now - from every class of people.
Isn't that what we should aim for - a level playing field for all?
What we need is incentives for people who have made it - or are trying to. Free education for the poor. Special scholarships or grants and awards for the sections of society that need the affirmative action or the reservations. But we should not be handing them something they have not earned. I cannot think of a worse way to humiliate a whole section of population!
On a practical level reservation/affirmative action does not even facilitate growth of that particular community. I believe it does just the opposite. It becomes a way to keep them down even more - since they know they can get by by doing almost nothing. In India, a scheduled caste candidate can fail at an exam and still get the seat in a medical school. So not only have you taught a child never to work to pass any exam ever again, you have probably ruined the hopes of so many others who have struggled and received an A, yet will not get that seat. And of course the risk to patients who will be going to a doctor who could not even pass his entrance! How can it ever be right, in any way?
Programs that are designed to differentiate on any other criteria except merit can only be deleterious to the health of society. They add more wrongs to replace the old injustices. Negating merit is not going to engender reconciliation or growth.
It is a fact that no community is less than or better than the other. Why do we keep endorsing the opposite view by continuing to reserve quotas? Should not all of us repudiate any suggestion of difference between one man from another?
A lot of us need help and encouragement, as individuals and as a community. But it serves no one to set a special set of goodies aside for any particular person. It is not just, and it is certainly not encouragement.
But enough now. It is a different world today, thank God. Affirmative action was essentially to ensure justice, to vouchsafe everyone the chance, and yes, maybe even that little push, to succeed.
"The terms affirmative action and positive action refer to policies that take race, ethnicity, or gender into consideration in an attempt to promote equal opportunity. The focus of such policies ranges from employment and education to public contracting and health programs. The impetus towards affirmative action is twofold: to maximize diversity in all levels of society, along with its presumed benefits, and to redress perceived disadvantages due to overt, institutional, or involuntary discrimination." This is how Wikipedia.com describes Affirmative Action. An attempt to promote equal opportunity. Operative term - 'EQUAL'.
And now its time to be fair again. Everyone is equal, and everyone needs to be treated that way. Let us all start off on the same footing. You should not get the job because of your ethnicity, but because you are the perfect candidate. How can it be any kind of encouragement to know that you got to be where you are because of some quirk of fate? That you are unfairly reaping the rewards for the past pains of those in your community?
Imagine a situation where two positions are open at a level. And it happens that people of two different races are appointed. It is going to be very difficult for them to consider the other an equal if even one of them thinks he or she got the position (even in part) because of the color of their skin. It is not fair to either to them to be placed in that position.
In India we have the curse of 'Reservation'. A certain percentage of all government jobs, and admissions to government colleges, are reserved for members of backward classes (yes, that is exactly what they are officially called! A classic example of adding insult to injury). Initially established after Independence for 10 years, it has become a political tool and has been renewed every time it has come for review. The Mandal Commission in 1979 was set up to assess the situation of the socially and educationally backward. The commission used the 1930 census figures for a sub-caste, known as the 'Other Backward Classes' and classified 1,257 communities as backward! The OBC population is now at 52% !!! You have to be really unlucky not to be classified into a quota. And if you do crack that entrance exam fully - just pray some OBC does not decide to throw in an application as well.
No one in India is an Untouchable anymore. Why are we still holding onto the concept by discriminating between classes of ages ago? The caste system has been rightly eradicated. Why do we continue with the inequity by officially naming them 'Scheduled Castes and Tribes'. How can that be right? If Gandhi was alive today he would have it stricken off right away.
Mira Kumar recently became the Speaker of the Lok Sabha of India. I am happy she got the position on the basis of what she as accomplished in her political career and not just because she was born into a 'classified' family. She deserves the respect she will so readily get now - from every class of people.
Isn't that what we should aim for - a level playing field for all?
What we need is incentives for people who have made it - or are trying to. Free education for the poor. Special scholarships or grants and awards for the sections of society that need the affirmative action or the reservations. But we should not be handing them something they have not earned. I cannot think of a worse way to humiliate a whole section of population!
On a practical level reservation/affirmative action does not even facilitate growth of that particular community. I believe it does just the opposite. It becomes a way to keep them down even more - since they know they can get by by doing almost nothing. In India, a scheduled caste candidate can fail at an exam and still get the seat in a medical school. So not only have you taught a child never to work to pass any exam ever again, you have probably ruined the hopes of so many others who have struggled and received an A, yet will not get that seat. And of course the risk to patients who will be going to a doctor who could not even pass his entrance! How can it ever be right, in any way?
Programs that are designed to differentiate on any other criteria except merit can only be deleterious to the health of society. They add more wrongs to replace the old injustices. Negating merit is not going to engender reconciliation or growth.
It is a fact that no community is less than or better than the other. Why do we keep endorsing the opposite view by continuing to reserve quotas? Should not all of us repudiate any suggestion of difference between one man from another?
A lot of us need help and encouragement, as individuals and as a community. But it serves no one to set a special set of goodies aside for any particular person. It is not just, and it is certainly not encouragement.
I'm guessing this one was inspired by The AIIMS student's strike in Delhi...
ReplyDeleteI really thought that strike would gather momentum and take off, it did a last quite a while. Its funny you mention how reservations can only be detrimental to society. I can't speak for other parts of the world, but one thing I'll tell you Sarah, people in India out of choice would much rather fall into some category of convenience that would provide eternal benefits, than fight for what they deserve. We need to learn to take more pride in ourselves and our abilities. It is a vicious circle no doubt, that until such time that reservations such as this are abolished, people will never know the importance of being self accomplished. I agree. But deep down I think they don't even want to know. They'd much rather ride the back of loopholes and provisions that allow them to continue in their lazy stupor and motivation lacking lives.