Opinion | The rotten seed of American individualism

The rotten seed of American individualism has grown into a mighty tree, spreading its branches and curling through the hearts of American citizens. It whispers in our ears lies of self-sufficiency and the lonesome American Dream, promising freedom but leaving cracks in the Earth and sowing division. 

It has wrapped its tendrils tightly around our everyday lives, taking root in the soil of our ambitions and hopes for a somewhat stable tomorrow. We have set aside empathy for self-interest to nurture its growth as it absorbs all nutrients from those who feed it, leaving the most vulnerable behind. As it has grown, it has blossomed the fruit of complicity and has left a nation fragmented along its roots, each person holding dear their own share of the poisoned fruit, feasting on what little nutrients it gives and drugging us into a fog, unable to see the decimation the seed has left in its wake.

We’ve created a silent forest where the roots no longer intertwine and the leaves bear no more shade. All that remains is the hollowness of a land where community is withering away, leaving only remnants of a village once lauded as a superpower.

It’s not so much that half the country is terribly racist, homophobic or misogynistic. It’s not even that people don’t want to see progress. It’s rather that at least half, but probably more, of this country does not care about one another. We have for too long nurtured the rotten seed of American individualism, and its roots run far too deep and its fruit has grown too bitter. Far too many people seemed to have embraced a philosophy hell-bent on placing personal freedom above the welfare of others. Compassion and kindness have withered as a response.

If we are to survive as a nation, we must tear down the illusion that we thrive alone. Our future depends on shifting to collectivism and emphasizing collective action to enact progress. Anything less can no longer be accepted. No one is asking anyone to chop themselves off at the legs, but rather we must help others before we can help ourselves. It really takes a village.

The United States was founded on the idea of personal liberty and liberal economics — you oversee your own destiny. It’s why so many people are still hyper-fixated on the American Dream and a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality. Working hard and achieving your dreams shouldn’t come at the expense of other people, but for the last few years, that has been the reality.

Yet, most major progress this country has seen in elevating the rights of those who most need it has been through collective action. The civil rights movement, spearheaded by organizations like the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference brought monumental change for racial minorities through massive protests and legal battles. The Labor Rights movement won critical protection for workers through the unions. Queer rights advanced through collaborative movements led by activists and organizations across the country. All progress and victories towards equality were won by villages. Individualism has rarely been a catalyst for justice, solidarity is where true progress thrives.

American individualism, once hailed as a virtue of this “great” nation, has become a crutch and excuse for selfishness. It convinces people that their singular success is all that matters, that they can thrive in isolation and that everyone else’s struggles are irrelevant. This distorted mindset has bred a culture where collective responsibility is seen as a burden rather than a moral obligation. 

Collectivism is often scoffed at, as if standing up for someone else’s rights diminishes one’s own. We’ve grown to believe that cooperation is a sign of weakness, and solidarity gets mistaken for a radical form of socialism. Any assistance or welfare is viewed as unfair to people who had privilege handed to them on a silver spoon. 

If we do not begin to reimagine our collective responsibility to one another, the rot of individualism will continue to weaken and dismantle all progress we have achieved. We are already seeing the fabric of equity fracture as the rotten seed grows into a monument to how far we are backsliding on progress.

We have forgotten to honor thy neighbor and treat others with dignity and respect all for the feeble, illusioned vision that our own self is the only thing that matters. We have for far too long neglected the collective good in favor of self-interest, causing harm to all those around us for the possibility to marginally better our own situations if at all. Ask yourself, am I doing good or am I just doing good for myself? And when you go to vote in November, consider the lives of those outside yourself and what will happen to them if the person you voted for were to take office.

Livia LaMarca is the assistant editor of the opinions desk who misses using the Oxford comma. She mostly writes about American political discourse, US pop culture and social movements. Write to her at lll60@pitt.edu to share your own opinions!