Opponents (those who are against affirmative action)
Here are some common arguments against affirmative action:

• It can be used as a system of reverse discrimination- denying opportunities to qualified white applicants merely because of their skin color. 
• Women and minorities are perceived to have gotten into their positions without earning it on their own merits- a stigma which will actually hurt them in the long run more than the initial boost helped them.
• Our country should be completely “color blind” which means not using race as a positive or negative factor in any decisions.  Affirmative action actually just perpetuates discrimination by keeping the focus on race.
• Affirmative action unfairly assumes that minorities can’t achieve success on their own and need outside help - a belief that is demeaning to these groups.
• There are many groups of people out there who are at a disadvantage because of their circumstances, not the color of their skin.  Shouldn’t any help be need-based and not founded on heritage or gender?
• Handouts or boosts of any kind are not part of “The American Way.”  America was built on people who used their own brains, strength and courage to lift themselves up. Policies like affirmative action, which give extra help, will change our entire cultural identity. 
• Affirmative action was needed at the time but now the playing field has evened out and there’s no longer any need for it.  

Proponents (those who are for affirmative action)
Here are some common arguments supporting affirmative action:

• You can’t fix 250-300 years of unequal treatment in just 30 or 40 years, the process will take much more time than that, and affirmative action is just one part of the process.  Until true equality has been reached, people are going to have to constantly work for it.
• White men still hold more power (in the form of high positions, better pay and better educations) than any other group in the United States.  Some areas, such as the federal government, are almost completely run by this group, even though they make up much less than half the population.  This clearly shows that there is still prejudice and a need for policies which work towards leveling the playing field for all. 
• Affirmative action is not actually preferential treatment for one group, but a way to combat the preferential treatment that has been given to white males for hundreds of years. 
• Reverse discrimination is not a part of affirmative action- if a person feels they have been the victim of reverse discrimination there is a strong legal precedent to sue.
• A person still has to have all the necessary qualifications to be helped by affirmative action.  Once they are in college or the job position they are seeking, affirmative action does not help them get the work done; a person has to still prove that he/she is up to the task. 
• In terms of college, there is no difference between giving preference to an applicant because he/she is a legacy student (a student who has had relatives, usually parents, attend the school previously) and giving preference to a student through affirmative action.  In fact, many legacy students are admitted even though they are less qualified than other applicants while affirmative action only helps those who are equally qualified.  

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