Affirmative action

My understanding of an oxymoron is: a phrase that is viable, but when taken separately, the words are contradictory. How are the words “affirmative” and “action” contradictory? Whom ever put this on the list probably disagrees with Affirmative action, but that doesn't make it an oxymoron.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention the fact that affirmative action really hasn't been all that successful but neither has the post office.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention the fact that affirmative action really hasn't been all that successful but neither has the post office.

I agree with Jade.   I do not see how the words themselves contradict each other.   Since “Affirmative” means positive or favorable and “action” means doing something, doesn’t that connote doing something positive?   So, the word “affirmative” describes the tone of the “action”, but does not contradict the action.

I believe what selekteizely has highlighted is irony.

Gallagher

Um, if you’re referring to slavery, it wouldn’t have been possible without African tribes, who sold other African tribes to Europeans. Why on Earth should we redress all blacks today when some may be descended from slave traders?

Slavery continues today, not that you’ll hear much about it on MSNBC. Seems to me blacks’ problems today are largely self-inflicted: abortion, chauvinism (successful people are “too white”), crime, and drugs.