Losing sight of what matters in America - CharlotteObserver.com
Interesting take on the cons of individualism. I talked about this in my thesis - there's so much emphasis on 'me' that 'us' is a foreign concept, or even a traitorous one. It's not just NIMBY-ism, it's the people on the mainland of North Carolina wanting the island-folk to get washed into the sea so they don't have to pay for the Army Corps to protect them.
At the same time, it's the people building houses right behind the dunes because if they can buy the land, it's their right to build. And it's the landowners who reject setbacks from the ocean because it's their right to sell the land to a builder. It's never about the town or the community having enough room to be safe; it's about the individual's right to do whatever the hell he wants, especially if it means profiting. They'd rather their neighbors be destroyed than be prevented from doing what they want.
I'm afraid this attitude is too entrenched in our history and culture to change. Perhaps the dynamics of the population will be sufficiently altered in the next 20-30 years, and the burgeoning families of immigrants from more culture-valuing societies will be the catalyst we need. American individualism was useful in the age of pioneers (from the American government's point of view and not, say, a Native tribe's) but at this point I think it's holding us back. Wars aren't enough anymore. What will it take?
No comments:
Post a Comment