Is the cultural trend of individualism and the rejection of collectivism a beneficial or detrimental trend?

[laly520]

Individualités - Cristina Migliorini

[Datboi65]

Individualism vs Community. An age-old sociological and philosophical question that has baffled many intellectuals and to this day creates a massive rift between different crowds. It's one of the most fundamental topics for our existence as a species, and it's important in our future as a civilization. I can answer this for you like anyone else, but instead I want you to open your eyes to the different possibilities and make your own conclusions.

Imagine there was a store where for everything you buy, 10% of the price would go to a charity of your choice. How many of you would buy from that store, and what are your reasons? I can bet that a good number of people would be very interested and you will hear people make comments like "my faith in humanity had been restored", since the idea of helping other people in need gives us a feeling of warmth and happiness.

Now imagine the same store started losing money since that 10% donation was too high for them that their margins were low, so they had to cut down on costs by firing employees and closing some of their locations. You're probably thinking "what did these poor employees do to deserve this?".

Well, in the first example, the store is prioritizing others by giving away for charity. In the second example, the store owners are watching out for themselves, as reality hits that they have to make profit, so they look for solutions that will cut down on their costs without removing the 10% donation, unfortunately hurting others in the process.

Why do people choose Community? Because it provides comfort and a sense of purpose.

Why do people choose Individualism? Because it's born out of necessity when you have protect yourself.

Reality is, we are only as good as our circumstances. If everyone around us is good and trustworthy, we are at our most giving. If people around us are cruel and selfish, we pick up on those tendencies to protect ourselves. When we become those things, we have a tendency to project that onto other people, like "homeless people are just lazy people that don't like to work" if you are an individualist or "billionaires are selfish and greedy with no soul or ounce of humanity left in them" if you are an collectivist. The reality is, both of these exist. You have homeless people that are poor because of a lack of opportunity who would otherwise work hard if they were given the chance to do so, and you have wealthy people who are incredibly generous and have empathy to people below them.

Finally, I want to close this by saying that understanding the other is crucial, even if you disagree. We're living at a time when our birth rates are at a steep decline, and homes are incredibly expensive, and the future doesn't look so great. In those tough times, two possibilities may arise:

1) An organized effort by multiple people to get out of debt and build wealth together, living arrangements (roommates situation) and helping each other with finances, although with more restrictions and obligations.

2) An individual effort of saving and investing what you make to build personal wealth that will give you more options and freedom.

Ask yourself what's better for the economy, but most importantly what's better for families and for our future?

[ohsheeT]

When I wake up in the mornings I yawn. Stretch.. get up. Make some coffee.

I do it with a smile on my face I'm not thinking of anybody or anything

I'm going to start my day with a smile and somebody wants to look at me and point at me I could care less if somebody was to call me up and start chewing out my ass about something

I could care less people could call me names I could care less because they probably don't even know me

I could do something brilliant and there's somebody likes it and they smile and say thank you I'll smile and say you're welcome and I'll keep moving on I don't like being like anybody else in this world

There's two sides to every story and I can see both of them and maybe even a third side..

But it doesn't matter to me just because I think something doesn't mean I'm right just because I think something doesn't mean I'm going to judge I usually keep it to myself

There could be 20 people together talking about something I'm going to be the person that walks away

Or I would be the last person to even talk and say why don't you think about it this way and that's all I would say

There's too many people that are all caught up in other people's crap titles labels judging drama those are all trends I don't want to be the part of any of it

I believe when it's all said and done I can look back and say wow I wasted so much time when I should have been doing this or that

[SugarSugarplum]

Subjugating self to a collective is just voluntary slavery. People are not cattle. We yearn for freedom and self determination.

[dudegreat91]

"Subjugating self to a collective is just voluntary slavery"
This might be the best opinion I've come across ever on this site. I might steal that line for a status or something :P

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Matter of proportions I think, unrestricted individualism travels with narcissism which destroys social fabric, by disconnecting people from people. society-wide collectivism implies denying individuals, so it gives a flock easier to lead for the shepherd, but then it gives a collective of clones.

I live in a society where a level of collectivism is, on a political philosophy level, established as normality, so it's hard for me to see the benefits of more individualism since I see how much damage individualism does to people.

Also, from a US standpoint, I don't think we can call individualism a cultural trend, in the sense that it looks not a trend, but fundamental, core to US political philosophy. As such, combating individualism seems to be combating the essence of US, thus it is expected to wage war into such a country. Especially when this combat happens too soon, any society needs A LOT of time to evolve culturally, forcing it is playing with fire, a lot of it I'm afraid.

[Kaneki05]

I could write paragraphs on this upon paragraphs.
But the TDLR would be yes it's detrimental but because it's all the things that cause it that are more so.
And that it can be very good to be such but most things that cause it are negative things. This don't mean it makes negative outcomes happen always but it's more likely, and it don't need to be anything drastic to still be negative on a personal aspect.
It's cause and effect, and I am more concerned about the effect.
Because it often means something is wrong with the collective in the first place, and the individual benefits from separation.

The trend of individualism is good when the causes aren't negative but more often they are. Is mostly the TDLR but I could of gone on about many more things since this subject reaches a fine balance debate which we have no answer for but this is the best one so far.

[NaultD]

Take a step back and look what you are doing. You are putting together letters for others to understand. On a network of connections accross the globe into space and back. With every step needing billions of people to maintain a consistent connection to ask this very question from where ever you are and to anyone reading this question.

What do you think is more valuable individualism or collectivism?

[buzzword]

It's beneficial. Individualism has created so abundance and technological advancement that we are able to support 5 time the population on earth than we could under collectivism. The only reason collectivism survives is because individualism is so successful. Collectivism is parasitic and needs a host to feed on.

[buzzword]

*so much

[joshjosh1156]

I think it can really go both ways. Overall I believe the human race benefits from being a collective. We are pack animals after all but I don’t believe that collective should be the only option given if that makes sense. Some people are for sure outliers and prefer to be alone and an individual and I don’t think that harms the human race

[DJB72]

On a macro level it's extremely detrimental to a cohesive society if the majority of people are highly individualistic, but society has always grown when one or two are able to rise and kick against a colony of "yes" men. It gives us the Leonardo da Vincis, Mozarts and Michaelanglos of the world.

But if everyone was a Da Vinci we'd never see his genius

[Juxtapose]

Collectivism would straight up not work for me because my autism disables that part of my brain that wants to fit into the group. I do my own thing for the most part and people can either take it or leave it.

That being said though, most people find my company to be pleasant.

[Matt_M]

The "individualism" of the capitalist system is just a facade. From the perspective of the global marketplace, "the Individual" is just a hollow abstraction that is only useful insofar as it keeps the machinery of consumption and production up and running. Milton Friedman himself referred to people as "consumer units" without a hint of irony.

[elaphe]

I truly believe that most things in life should require a balance. This is true with things like welfare. I don't have a problem as a taxpayer helping someone who truly cannot work because of a legitimate illness or disability, but I don't think people getting welfare should have fancy phones, the kind I don't have.

[nawtee_me]

And yet we are all at some point put in a group. All men… because of what one guy did. Or, all women… because of the hate one woman has. For people who love their individuality we sure are quick to build groups…. White girls, East Asian… I f we want to be individuals then you think we should first think of others as individuals?

[normalice]

I think if those who pursued individualism didn't do it so half-ass, put their money where their mouth is and found a cave to live in it would be fine. But this "diet indivualism" is a detrimental strain on humanity as a whole.

[Anonymous]

The push for individualism is a push back reaction to governments wanting to control more and more of peoples life and liberties, especially governments of the Political Left, which over the last 125 years have caused more misery and death than any other.

As to whether it is beneficial or detrimental, only time will tell.

[Anonymous]

Beneficial. A society that sacrifices or neglects the few for the majority is a genuinely evil, horrendous, heartless society. It's not okay to benefit 10 people if it causes harm or grief to 1.

That's not to say individualism doesn't come with its faults, it does, but it's for better than collectivism.

[genericname85]

i think a trend of people minding their own fucking business and taking care about themself instead of drifting into mental illness by getting angry at others would be a very good development.

[NathanDavis]

it saved my life... and made me way way happier...

[exitseven]

I think modern society is trying to crush individualism. They want everone to say the same things.

[Jackblue]

The more we reject collectivism, the better we seem to do.

[Jackblue]

Every bad ideology which kills people is collectivist: feudalism, communism, socialism, religious fanaticism, patriarchy, matriarchy, organized crime, identity politics. They will all tell you the same thing reject the "decadence of our age", obey the leaders of the movement, and don't listen to those who want to "divide the tribe" even when they are telling the truth.

[MrGSpotHer]

To much of something good might be a bad thing

[RedInnocent69]

Detrimental. Bowling alone is no fun.

[noohair]

It is how the us became the USA

[Dongie]

Eeh?🤯