I have a theory. So you know how this pervasive idea of rugged individualism that's been perpetuated in the United States for ages and ages, has overall detrimentally contributed to society in general (and also specifically to the decline of mental health on a systemic level?).
Well, here's my theory (this may not be a new theory, but it occurred to me today, so bear with me): individualism contributes to the formation of cliques, to the formation of in-groups, out-groups, etc. which then in turn contributes to societal divides (because in-group vs. out-group dynamics contribute to demagoguery which is basically the mindset that controls the American political system, etc.).
Basically, on a small level: let's say Person A tells Persons B & C something. There's a level of trust between the three, but in some way, Person A has a level of power over Persons B & C. Whether that's age, information, etc. that power difference, even if it's small, is there. Person A wants to maintain control over Persons B & C and makes them feel special by saying they're confiding this information only to Persons B & C. But now, Persons B & C know they'll lose favor with Person A if they make that information public, because they'll have betrayed their trust. So, even if that information feels wrong, because of feeling special and feeling pressured within the power dynamic to not divulge information (after all, how could you not trust someone who's told you they're smarter, more mature because of age, etc. than you), Persons B & C keep that information to themself. But eventually, Person A decides one or two more people are worthy of trust. So now, Persons A, B, C, D, and E all have this special information from Person A that is the common interest for this clique. And pretty soon, that clique starts pitting itself against others who don't have that information. So, we see a small in-group, out-group dynamic forming. But from this, other, bigger in-group, out-group dynamics form and we can see how this whole us vs. them mentality can start on a very small level.
Anyway, this is all just some thoughts formulated before my first cup of coffee of the day. Maybe we need to deconstruct the in-group vs. out-group dynamic on a base level. Encourage curiosity without judgment in Kindergarten so kids don't go through life thinking that anyone who isn't exactly like them = weird = bad and so on and end up destroying important parts of their life because of this ingrained mentality that we can't change opinions, see other perspectives, etc.
