The United States Federal Government, Individualism, and COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic enhanced the nature of modern social individualism that emphasizes the privacy and independence of a competitive, self-reliant individual mindset. And so, the ‘prevailing folk wisdom’ produced “an individual who is reactive, autonomous, alienated, very concerned with the preservation of his or her rights of freedom, and defensive against anyone who might want to encroach on rights for any reason” (Stephanie M. Walls, 2015).
All of the restrictions, mandates, regulations, and rules designed to keep the country safe from a dangerous virus were greeted with defiance by Americans concerned with the longevity and preservation of their freedoms. This defiance is proven and measurable through studies that discovered that “more individualistic U.S. counties engaged in less social distancing, as assessed by people’s mobility (e.g., via traffic patterns and smartphone tracking; Bian et al., 2020)” (Webster et al., 2021). The safety, considerations, and prosperity of the community were neglected because of the individualistic “I am responsible for me” attitude (Knovva Academy, 2018).
Individualism in the United States encouraged Americans to view protective measures against the virus, like masks and quarantining, as infringements upon their liberties and independence. Individualism, which has shaped a self-reliant culture since the founding of America, influences political, economic, and social choices people make in this individualistic society. But what about the extension of individualism toward government responses? Does American individuality, introduced and embedded by the founders of America themselves, produce government actions, reactions, and interactions shaped by individualism and easily distinguishable from a collectivist government?
What was observed in the United States federal government under President Trump in addition to the “ghost town of scientific expertise” and “mixed messages” (Lee, 2020)? The timeline includes several White House contradictions about the World Health Organization, President Xi Jinping, testing, and masks. Can these contradictions and inconsistencies be an indication of individualistic culture? Does the timeline produce a significantly different outcome compared to a collectivist culture?