Many books have been written about affirmative action since it emerged on the scene some 30 years ago.
If written by an author from the Right, the books told us to resist affirmative action because it eliminated meritocracy, promoted racism, led to reverse discrimination and was un-American because it guaranteed equal results rather than equal opportunity. If the author was on the Left, we were told to support affirmative action because it provided reparations for past discrimination, guaranteed a fair share of the economic pie, and because it was a civil right that was guaranteed by the Constitution.
Rather than succumbing to the arguments of the Right or the Left, Professor Skrentny pushes the debate back to its origins to examine how the issue emerged in the first place. According to Skrentny, the key to a better understanding of the policy requires “. . . understanding the cultural, political and historical bases of the Right’s resistance and the Left’s support.” He carefully explores the combination of events locally and internationally that resulted in affirmative action becoming policy without debate. He wants the Left to know more about where the affirmative action policy came from and its political liabilities.
The author presents the Right’s opposition to affirmative action on the premise that it is based on racial preference rather than on the American ideal of meritocracy. The position of the Left, according to Skrentny, is that preferences have been prevalent in American society for quite some time. He refers to veterans preference programs, which not only gave veterans extra points in the employment selection process but also to members of their families. Skrentny also points out that nepotism, the practice of providing employment opportunities to members of one’s own family, is another example of preferential treatment that was highly accepted in the past.
