"individualism" and the attendant "rights" they feel they have to assert that individualism on top of anyone else's equally fiercely defended individualism. And in the course of doing so, invariably throwing any kind of collective good or common decency under the bus.
'Collective good' or 'common decency' only emerges from the sovereignty of 'the self', first.
Any 'top down' mechanism (the opposite of individualism) results in authoritarianism and oppression.
When we go overboard in our attachment to individual rights we also create a dynamic in which it seems like everyone lives in a sort of pervasive fear of having "their way" somehow being taken away or maybe diluted as a result of the mere presence of someone else who subscribes to a different way.
An attachment to the sovereignty of the self is paramount for any healthy society.
Losing that attachment, is inviting group think, mob mentality, and authoritarian control.
It's interesting how people who've never immerse themselves in another culture misconstrue it. ( e.g 'travelers' who've spend two months in Thailand and 'totally get' the culture, and Buddhism 'man'.)
I've seen it written about a million times - about the eastern 'collective mindset' compared to the western one.
It is total - and utter bollocks.
The 'more collective mindset' that very inaccurately describes eastern culture is borne from a strong sense of self.
So strong in fact, that it doesn't need to be discussed - they're far too buy applying themselves to a collective good.
To mistake that for a more 'collectivist mindset' says far more about the ignorance of the writer in understanding the culture, than anything else.
What appears on the surface to the casual observer, is merely an end result , and NOT the foundations on which it's built.
Which is a strong sense of self.
Understanding that difference takes years of immersion in a culture that's seen as 'collectivist'.
Why do you think I prefer living in this part of the world, compared to the 'namby pamby', socialized, entitled , and decadent - mindsets of the west?
'Individualism' in the west is a lie.
They're more akin to worker bee drone's - slavery loving sheep, while bleating 'I'm an individual' with every 'quiet desperation' breath they can muster.
RE: Memory Lane: "Why Don't You HATE Them," and Other Toxic Philosophies...