1. I find the order paradigm more insightful.

2. The order paradigm expresses what we as Americans represent as a nation. Order, stability, harmony, and cooperation are part of the foundation of today’s society. In businesses, families, and the government we see these same attributes. By following theses guidelines money, power, and status can be obtained. The powerful were not always powerful, and the rich not always rich. Somewhere in history they acquired money, power, and their social status by following these guidelines. I was told at a young age that if you wanted to achieve your goals you had to work hard and be persistent. I was born into poverty and by following these rules I continue to succeed in life. Although the current situation in New York was brought about by conflict it is order that is holding the nation together. People have traveled from all across the United States and contributed to several different charities to help with the New York disaster. Everywhere you look people are displaying an American flag symbolizing their pride of this wonderful nation.

3. The conflict paradigm is an excuse for people to blame society for their problems. Criminals are commonly portraying the attitude of “I have been victimized by society”. I was not loved as a child therefore it gives me the right to be a murder, rapist etc based on my experiences and living conditions throughout my childhood. Everybody knows between right and wrong. Ultimately it is the decision of the individual. When you blame society for your mistakes you are not taking responsibility of your actions. People who believe in this theory believe the world is a conspiracy and the system is designed to kick them while they are down. They spend time arguing on how it is an injustice, how life is unfair, and create conflicts among society. They are so busy pointing the finger at whom to blame they do not try to make life better. To find out how they can make the system work for themselves, and the people around them.

4. It was difficult for me to choose between the two sociological paradigms because I believe they do go together. You cannot have one without the other in today’s society. This assignment made me think of the story of the unhappy customer. To sum it up in a nutshell when something negative happens to us we tell an average of 12 people. When something good happens to us we tell an average of 4 people. Overall people tend to dwell on the negative and not the positive. I would have to say people who believe in the order paradigm are probably positive people, and people who believe in the conflict paradigm are most likely pessimists.