Rugged individualism?
This entry was originally posted on 20 August 2003 at 12:25 p.m.
The United States, as a country, has a long history of individualism and rebellion. It was founded in the spirit of anti-imperialism; the revolution itself, in retrospect, seems much like a thumbing of the nose at the British Empire.
There are countless examples of this American style of individualism. Our history and folktales abound with heroes who fought the status quo and proved themselves stronger, or who struck out on their own to brave the wilderness: John Henry, Susan B. Anthony, Johnny Appleseed, Harriett Tubman, Billy the Kid, Teddy Roosevelt.
The Hoover administration was known for using the term "rugged individualism"--the phrase that, combined with the dream of going from rags to riches, probably best describes the nature of the "American spirit." These were the values, for better or for worse, on which this country was founded, and these were the values that people were expected to instill in their children.
And yet have we? Or have these values--noble in so many ways but for their lack of subtlety--somehow shifted?
It seems as though they have, and not for the better. Now, instead of learning from their mistakes, it seems as though people have a tendency to place blame--and to make sure that it lies well outside themselves. Instead of and taking responsibility for themselves, it seems people would rather file lawsuits. In many ways, we have gone from a country of pioneers to a country of victims.
Lewis and Clark probably weren't expected to sign waivers absolving the government from any blame should they fall to harm. But these days, might they have been?
What has happened to us? What happened to character-building experiences? What happened to taking a few scrapes and bruises, getting up and walking away, that much wiser for the fall? Where did we go wrong? What caused the shift from self-reliance to self-righteousness? How is it that we've become this sniveling, simpering, litigious mass?
How could we have walked away from one of the central tenets of individualism--that we alone are responsible for our actions?
The United States, as a country, has a long history of individualism and rebellion. It was founded in the spirit of anti-imperialism; the revolution itself, in retrospect, seems much like a thumbing of the nose at the British Empire.
There are countless examples of this American style of individualism. Our history and folktales abound with heroes who fought the status quo and proved themselves stronger, or who struck out on their own to brave the wilderness: John Henry, Susan B. Anthony, Johnny Appleseed, Harriett Tubman, Billy the Kid, Teddy Roosevelt.
The Hoover administration was known for using the term "rugged individualism"--the phrase that, combined with the dream of going from rags to riches, probably best describes the nature of the "American spirit." These were the values, for better or for worse, on which this country was founded, and these were the values that people were expected to instill in their children.
And yet have we? Or have these values--noble in so many ways but for their lack of subtlety--somehow shifted?
It seems as though they have, and not for the better. Now, instead of learning from their mistakes, it seems as though people have a tendency to place blame--and to make sure that it lies well outside themselves. Instead of and taking responsibility for themselves, it seems people would rather file lawsuits. In many ways, we have gone from a country of pioneers to a country of victims.
Lewis and Clark probably weren't expected to sign waivers absolving the government from any blame should they fall to harm. But these days, might they have been?
What has happened to us? What happened to character-building experiences? What happened to taking a few scrapes and bruises, getting up and walking away, that much wiser for the fall? Where did we go wrong? What caused the shift from self-reliance to self-righteousness? How is it that we've become this sniveling, simpering, litigious mass?
How could we have walked away from one of the central tenets of individualism--that we alone are responsible for our actions?
posted by Circus at 12:28 PM
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