Using positive discrimination

Using affirmative discrimination
Promoting racial quotas
Promoting gender quotas
Taking affirmative action against discrimination
Promoting affirmative action

Context

Affirmative action, gives preference to discriminated groups in society as defined by race and gender, physical disability or any other category where those members are typically subjected to discrimination. Affirmative action includes setting racial or gender quotas in employment situations and educational admission procedures, to overcome past discrimination and prevent further discrimination against discriminated groups.

Claim

When a society continues to be discriminatory towards certain groups, whilst its law protects or adheres to the rights of all people, affirmative action will effective promote opportunity for discriminated groups in situations where otherwise they would be denied opportunity because of discrimination.

Counter-claim

Affirmative action is meant to reduce discrimination by giving preference to discriminated groups over non-discriminated groups in employment and other opportunity situations. However, this can lead to reverse discrimination or the discrimination of non-discriminated groups. For instance, racial or gender quotas in employment are anti-merit when individuals from discriminated-groups are given the job in preference of "non-discriminated" people who have more merit for the job. Anti-merit discrimination is wrong. Affirmative action does not promote equal opportunity. It is a top-down social "band-aid" approach that in the long term does not serve society well. Affirmative action lessens individual responsibility, when it is individual responsibility that should be focused on in order to facilitate reducing discrimination and promoting equal opportunity.