Affirmative Action.

The criticisms against affirmative action certainly exceed the arguments for it. Which really makes this social issue very controversial for the public. It is unjust for both ends. Sometimes what's right is not necessarily what's best, and vice versa.
It is arguable that most if not all cultures empathize for victims of oppression and invest both financially and morally to help the oppressed move upward in what sociologists define as social mobility.
Historically, we've also witnessed reconciliation to victims. Only a couple of years ago Germany finally paid off its debt in reparations to mostly France, a debt from a conflict that started almost a century ago. The US government has granted preservation of land to native american communities as well as taxation free policies.
And this brings a very debatable topic. Are reparations and reconciliations based on morality or is it a responsibility?
Personally, I don't agree with the idea of coercive or mandatory compensation. Compensation should come out of the oppressor's wish for redemption. Thus, I believe affirmative action is immoral. It should not be ongoing since it could be outdated, it is quite hypocritical and unjust. Going back to the topic of minorities in the work place, it is unjust to deny or grant a position in a company simply because of someone's heritage, ethnicity or gender.
Whatever happened to a merit based society? Isn't that what we are taught from childhood? Affirmative action is not motivational if an individual could achieve greater or start with an advantage simply because he or she was born into a specific ethnic group.