Differences Between Affirmative Action And Racial Discrimination In Society

Discrimination presents itself in different ways in society. Some is motivated by personal prejudice and some is motivated by government and introduced at a legislative level. People discriminate in different ways, some aim to benefit minority groups in society, while others aim to obstruct the minority. In order to achieve equality between all, as is arguably required in in a democratic society, it is necessary for the State to intervene for the good of society.
The principle of affirmative action is an example of discrimination in society. It is instituted on the basis that it assists minority groups who lack equal opportunity. The purpose of affirmative action, otherwise known as positive discrimination, is to compensate for injustices …show more content…
The goal of affirmative action is compensation and equality for disadvantaged minority groups suffering from discrimination while the goal of racial profiling is to use discrimination to assist authorities in the investigation and prevention of crime. Affirmative action uses positive discrimination in favour of the minority to provide a more equal footing in opportunities to advance, whereas racial profiling uses racial discrimination, not for the betterment of the minorities but for the protection and welfare of …show more content…
Both policies are used by the legislature to benefit society and it is important that their use is not abused. The two policies are controversial because of the way they are implemented. This could be remedied by adapting affirmative action policies to account for class or economic disadvantage instead of race or gender, to include poor and disadvantaged white people, and manage racial profiling by putting guidelines in place around how the profiles are developed, and how rationally and justly the profiling exercises are carried