Yer preachin' to the choir, my friend...

Part of what you're saying here is precisely what I have experienced, too... a strong sense of self-identity (personal individuation) seems quite different from the purely conceptual "individualism" that exists in some countries and seem to be practiced by sheeple.

I never actually thought of individualism as "a thing" till I moved to the USA, yet it was my well-established sense of self (not gotten out of a can nor from TV programs) that meant I had no issue with either the Baptist Boys or "Cowgirl" who called me a commie for thinking that a functioning public transit system makes sense.

I have no interest in being a commie, but it baffles me that believing that being mindful of a common good aside from just my own good would make me one... rather, I'd submit that such a mindset constitutes pathological selfishness rather than individualism.

Maybe the semantics are subtle... growing up in Denmark, we were often (even in school) taught about the interconnectivity of "me" and "us." Ironically, there was actually far less group think and mob rule than I have encountered in the US.

You, as well, have a great weekend!