Totally agree.  What you describe deserves a better term than affirmative action.
I used to have hiring authority at a STEM firm.  Heavily male.  Whenever there was a "coin toss" between applicants, the woman got the job.  It was much healthier for the organizational culture to have that diversity.  On business and moral grounds it was justified.  That does seem different than hiring a less qualified person to remedy a social ill, which is at least the perception of what AA is about.
Thanks for keeping it civil!