Value Paradox

A value paradox refers to the difference between two opposing aspects to values. It is the contradictory notion of how people believe the world ought to be versus how they act. When a person says one thing’s but then does another, it can be described as a gap between words and deeds, sometimes called hypocrisy, but also a value paradox.

                An example of an American value paradox is our car market. In the past few years there has been a growing concern for the reduction of emissions in order to preserve our environment. This is an American paradox because although we are attempting to make more efficient cars that are hybrid, people don’t see these vehicles as their first choice. People who drive hybrids are normally people who are more concerned with saving money with the rising cost of fuel rather than the environment. As a result this creates a paradox of values. Also in America, the car one drives is usually seen as a status symbol, therefore this idea needs to be altered before fuel efficiency will become a solution to our emission problems. Even still in 2012, gas cars such as Hummers, Tahoe’s and F-350’s are produced and get horrible gas mileage in the low teens, if that. The reason these cars are still popular is that due to their size, they are expensive and expensive cars are a status symbol. The notion of ‘because I can’ is very popular in the United States.

                In Ireland a popular value paradox is that they should stimulate their economy and lower unemployment levels. However during my experience there I found that most stores closed as early as 6pm and were closed on two holidays during my short two week stay. This is due to their strong family values and the idea that one should return home after work rather than go shopping. However it seems that a quick fix would seem to be to stay open longer providing more time for customer consumption as well as providing more jobs by adding another shift to the day.