You miss the point. Before the government made it a legal category, the common sense definition was ‘being awarded something without regard to whether it was achieved or deserved’.
Affirmative Action | Definition of Affirmative Action by Merriam-Webster
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affirmative%20action
Definition of affirmative action. : an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women sought to achieve a multicultural staff through affirmative action also : a similar effort to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged persons.