ABSTRACT
The policy of affirmative action and the plethora of laws and regulations passed on its behalf are among the historically rare attempts made by a society to rectify the results of centuries old discrimination. These policies also exemplify the proverbial unforeseen and unintended consequences of social action. A serious critique of affirmative action is that it has not been a tool of social justice or historical compensation for past wrongs because it has not benefited those who need it most, the poor and uneducated, "the truly disadvantaged" among the selected minorities. Affirmative action has become a program to achieve a proportional representation of the designated minorities in various fields of employment, in colleges, police forces, even on death row rather than creating the opportunity for members of these groups to compete on more equal terms. The affirmative action admissions programs created tremendous resentment and hostility among students.
