Reverse Discrimination
Essay title: Reverse Discrimination
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INTRODUCTION:Research into the Impact of Affirmative Action on Whites
Dr. Fred L. Pincus is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). In 1999, Adversity.Net agreed to help Dr. Pincus locate and interview white victims of reverse discrimination. Dr. Pincus has now published several papers about this work. Adversity.Net has reproduced one such article in its entirety titled “The Social Construction of Reverse Discrimination: The Impact of Affirmative Action on Whites” (Reprinted with permission.) It may be impossible for Adversity.Net readers to regard Dr. Pincus work as a truly objective analysis of the impact of affirmative action on whites, especially since — at least according to my reading of his article — he essentially says that affirmative action (including in particular race-based targets and goals) — arent so bad for us non-minorities. He also argues that race-based “goals and targets” are not the same as “quotas”. Pincus also suggests that the phrase “reduced opportunity” is a more accurate term to describe what we think of as “reverse discrimination”. Dr. Pincus was a little suspicious about Adversity.Nets reasons for wanting to publish his paper, stating his concern that we were going to hold it up as an example of how “liberal affirmative action sympathizers think”. His work does offer a detailed insight into what I consider to be traditional, liberal rationalizations for race-based targets, goals and quotas. Dr. Pincus and I have been engaged in a running dialogue about affirmative action which has been alternately enlightening, amusing, borderline insulting, angry, and perplexing. Ill give Dr. Pincus credit for being patient and for being willing to engage in a lively discussion with an avowed opponent of race-based policies. Im fairly certain Dr. Pincus thinks of me as a creature from the dark side. Each of us remains truly amazed at the fundamental beliefs and attitudes held by the other on this issue. See what you think. By way of introducing and summarizing Dr. Pincus work, I have excerpted a few segments from his article, below. The complete, unedited text is also available for your viewing. — Tim Fay, Editor
See Summary
(The complete, unedited text of Dr. Pincus article may be found at