America 250: Individualists and communitarians at once
Two kinds of people populated Europe back in the day, a German politician once told me. Most Europeans were dutiful citizens, rule followers, whose chief virtue was dependability. A smaller group were untamed, ambitious risk-takers, the politician said.
TL;DR
- America's founding is described by two myths: one of ambitious risk-takers who left Europe, and another of community-focused Pilgrims overcoming adversity together.
- Alexis de Tocqueville observed that Americans constantly unite in various voluntary institutions, demonstrating a communal self-reliance rather than solitary individualism.
- Progressives and conservatives both err by focusing solely on individualism or government intervention, neglecting the importance of 'little platoons' or civil society.
- Declining civil society, as documented by Robert Putnam, leads to isolation and increased reliance on the central government, contributing to the popularity of socialism among Gen Z.
- Hyper-individualism and over-centralization are interconnected errors; America's strength comes from balancing individualism with community, avoiding both unchecked self-reliance and excessive state control.