Understanding Affirmative Action

From my understanding, affirmative action gives minorities (both racial and female minorities) more opportunities to jobs. Its hard for me, as a young adult to know how it feels to have an a job given to someone else for reason not related to being qualified. I find it hard for any young adult to have an experience like that.

Before reading the article "White Men and the Denial of Racism," I didn't truly understand the two sides to this issue. At first, affirmative action sounds as if it is hiring unqualified...but beneath that it really helps those (such as people of color and women) to get into the same pool and have the ability to compete with the "white men."

How would you feel if your job was taken from you and given to another for quota reasons? How would you feel if you were not given a job because of the color of your skin? How would you feel if you were more qualified than anyone applying for a job opening, yet you were bypassed by some else because a quota needed to be fulfilled? Its really hard to imagine these instances because I don't think I have really been in a situation were I am competing for a job. But I will say that I do agree with affirmative action. I think its something our country needs to do and that when it is all said-and-done, it will have hopefully help those who were once discriminated against, find successful opportunities to compete with those who have never been discriminated against.