Affirmative Action and the Sotomayor hearings

There are many Americans, particularly on the conservative edge, who believe that affirmative action is a gift, a pass, a lack of qualification for non-whites in this country. However, little to these people who are uneducated about this issue realize that all people who benefit from affirmative action have the qualifications to get into school, job position, etc. It is a benefit for this country to have this affirmative action because it is an attempt to level the playing field regardless of one's sex, race, or economic status. Also what many opponents of affirmative action fail to see is that most beneficiaries are women. People who benefit the most from affirmative action has nothing to do with race.

Since the conception of America, and before it, there has been a privilege for white men. White men were the presidents, CEOs, landowners, and among the wealthiest for centuries. Now we are at a time in our nation where people who are not white and are not men are getting the chance to opportunities. Non-whites who get promoted or accepted are seen as not qualified because of affirmative action. An attack on affirmative action is an attack on diversity in the workplace, schools, and society. It privileges a status quo that lacks a diversity necessary for a society to thrive. Becoming one culture, language, race, sex is what a status quo of America has been. Without affirmative action we will see a society become whiter, more masculine, divided, and a place for stereotypes to strengthen.

Sonia Sotomayor's hearings to become the first latina supreme court justice has brought the issue of affirmative action to surface. Republicans have attacked her for a statement about her being a "wise latina" as if it was a statement against white men. Republicans know that she is going to be approved, so they have played the race card as a means for political gain among the people who are uneducated about affirmative action and propose this as something that is working against white men of America. Pat Buchanan has been all furious over Sonia Sotomayor arguing that it is pushing whites back in society. He ignores the historical record of the world and especially in America. He does not recognize slavery as a legitimate discussion that have set black people back in America. He has tried to distract serious discussion of affirmative action by tryin to pain it as something that hurts this nation (of white men) and uses his uneducated beliefs of affirmative action to stir up the Sonia Sotomayor hearings as racial rather than arguing her experience as a judge and how she can perform on the supreme court.

The Republicans in the senate have disgraced latinos and other non-whites across the country that they do not matter unles you are Clarence Thomas. The Republicans are completely offbase when it comes to diversity, race relations, representation, and observing history of America. In the hearts of guys like Pat Buchanan 1950 was America and 2009 is a place that goes against their values of society. Sonia Sotomayor has been attacked and she still has performed her expertise of communicating and following the law as during the hearings. The future for Republicans is looking poor with non-white voters with these statements and views they have shown on affirmative action.