The title of this Paper is inspired by a famous song of an American rock band called the Ramones. The song describes a love-hate relationship and a choice that is presented to teenage boys or young adults as they stand at the gates of maturity, and the choices between new and old that are presented before them. This song is quite appropriate for the concept of Affirmative Action and its application to the United States of America. Affirmative Action, a social Justice tool which has received Constitutional protection for around four and a half decades in the United States was found to be violating the Constitution of the United States by the Supreme Court of the United States in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.[1] In this paper, I trace the history of Affirmative Action in the United States while analysing how and why a programme such as this was felt necessary. I also look at the journey that Affirmative Action has taken in the United States till its development was cut short after being deemed unconstitutional. The paper also reviews the Harvard Admission case and focuses on the future of Affirmative Action and its beneficiaries in the aftermath of the aforementioned judgment.
[1] 600 U.S. 181 (2023)
