Individualism in America Essay

Individuality can be defined as the particular character, or aggregate of qualities, that distinguishes one person or thing from others. According to NationofChange, "America was built on the social-political ideals of Individualism. The philosophy of self-reliance, in the face of peril, and in the name of freedom. Communities were forged by rugged personalities, adventurers and entrepreneurs, determined to secure their freedoms in a new land." It is in this view that a variety of groups or community started to form in the early 1800. One of them is the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is the name of three distinct past and present movements in the United States create in 1865 that have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically expressed through terrorism aimed at groups or individuals whom they opposed. As a white supremacist group, they operates as a secret society by using the characteristics of fraternalism and individuality to extend their racist idea to the public. In fact, they founded their group on fraternal love and respect to each and every member of the clan mixing all those radical individuality into one super weld community. Therefore, they early understood the importance of individuality in their community and use it in order to achieve their goals in life. This opinion is highlighted by Robert Bellah et al. in his essay "Community, Commitment and Individuality" where he describes the relationship between community and individuality in America. Indeed for him, Individuality is a good thing that can help people to advance and be responsible for their own choice in life, however he thinks that it is only by the means of a united community that the true sense and good of individuality can be experienced. He states that "American society is becoming very self-oriented, or very individual-oriented what's in it for me, how much do I get out of it, am I getting everything I'm entitled to in my life?" (65). On the other hand, individualism is an old culture in America that make people looking for their own needs or desire, he also emphasizes that it is destroying the unity and solidarity that every one of us is entitled to. Accordingly, he describe that individuality in community was based on different characteristics that where their virtue and commitment to their community or the institutions that embodies it, the virtue are model and is passed down by older to younger generation and their sense of solidarity. He called it the second language (67) who can be defined as a community individualism or a community-made self. On the contrary, he also describe the radical individualism or self-oriented, where people only think that they can do everything by themselves, he called it the first language. Hence, this essay is meant to describe the relationship between the first and the second language, like when an individual is being pulled back and forth between who he is as an individual versus his membership to his community.