Laissez-faire Racism - Racial Preferences and Laissez-Faire Racism

Racial Preferences and Laissez-Faire Racism

According to Walter Allen, racial preferences are an equal opportunity program that was widely implemented from 1965 to 1994. The program was designed to assist minorities and women in educational and career opportunities. Although the affirmative action program is primarily associated with the black community, it has been white females who have benefited most from the program noting significant gains in all areas of education, employment, and contracting. Racial preferences have come under intense scrutiny for the past decade by those who don’t see a need for the program, often calling it racist, that seeks to punish Asians and Whites. The color-blind ideals would make racial preferences unnecessary because it is based on the idea that we live in a society where race is neither acknowledged nor important. Color-blind enthusiasts often use the idea of meritocracy to oppose affirmative action programs. However, according to Dei, these ideas fail to accept the long history of racism that has left its imprint on the lives and opportunities of minorities in the United States. Many people who express the laissez-faire attitude towards racism oppose racial preferences on the grounds that they highlights racial differences in society when we should focus on making America more colorblind. These people assert that they believe in equal rights for minorities, and oppose racial discrimination.