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The Errs Of Dworkin

For many years, preferential treatment has been used to try to make up for
past wrong-doings to minorities.   There have been many cases tried over
racial discrimination, with verdicts of both innocent and guilty.   Ronald
Dworkin attempts to argue that preferential treatment is socially useful
and at the same time does not violate people's rights.   This is wrong for
many reasons; here I shall illustrate how preferential treatment hinders
racial equality, violates people's rights, and can lead to a lower opinion
toward a particular race.
Dworkin believes that continuing preferential treatment will decrease
racial consciousness and the importance of race.   This is the total
opposite of what truly happens.   If a person were to consider America's
past, as an example, he would see how racially diverse people were.   Now
look around.   Just walking across any given area, groups of people of the
same race are seen walking together.   Most people do not notice this, but
very rarely are groups of ethnically diverse people seen.   Although there
are no longer any laws stating that there must be a separation between
different races, people still practice it unconsciously.   Dworkin states
that the long-term goal of preferential treatment "is to reduce the degree
to which American society is overall a racially conscious society (294)."
Preferential treatment does nothing of the sort.   It was used widely in the
past and still exists in some areas today.   It has not reduced racial
consciousness, but increased it by making people think more about how many
spaces are reserved   for their particular race.   Instead, people should
think of what their chances are of getting something on account of their
personal knowledge over someone else's, not even considering their race as
a factor.   This is evident in a black's point of view of getting into the
medical school of the University of California at Davis.   Sixteen places
are set aside just for blacks and other...