Why would you equate a "deadbeat" dad with someone that believes in individualism...
How could an unemployed man who walked out on his responsibilities to live with his mommy be anything other than the product of socialist thinking. Look at the "behavior", he faces challenges and expects mommy will take care of him and society will take care of the family he left behind. Who gave him those kind of expectations?
I am sure he justifies his actions by saying he was a "victim" and he is "entitled" to have "mommy" support him, while "big mommy" (the government) provides for his children. That is not "toxic" individualism... that is "toxic" socialism. Get your definitions straight.
"Toxic" individualism is when someone is so independent, that can't ask for help when they need it... We should all strive to be independent, but every now and then it is okay to say "help me". But "help me" does not mean abandoning one's responsibilities or accepting a hand out, it means getting assistance to get back on your feet so you can assume responsibility for yourself and your family.
In its most perverse form, toxic individualism is behind many suicides because people can't ask for help, they choose to end their lives instead. But except for mislabeling your piece by calling it "toxic individualism" instead of "toxic socialism", it is a pretty good piece that highlights what is becoming a problem in America... the whole victim narrative has confused people...
Victim is when you are hurt by what someone does to you.... not by what you do to yourself.
In your hiking example, the person blaring music is not exercising individualism, they simply have no manners. The lack of manners is not a sign of individualism, it is a sign of a poor upbringing.
Finally, where was Cuomo when people were dying in nursing homes or my governor when small businesses were going broke because of his Covid restrictions while he enjoyed a dinner with friends and a $12,000 wine tab. Are you saying these progressive liberals are advocates of "individualism" or again are you trying to make a comparison that simply makes not sense.
Now another area we can agree on is that individualism really relies on a moral compass. John Adams said that without morals Democracy and the individual freedoms our form of government confers on people couldn't work. In other words, individualism is without doubt critical if one is going to have the opportunity and freedom to pursue happiness which is a God given unalienable right. Government does not have the right to tell gay people how to live their lives. But with individualism comes the moral obligation to be cognizant of the responsibilities that come with the right to choose.
Do you really think someone like Trump when he was President had the right to tell you how to live your life... or are you like most of us an individual who would rather make her own choices and live with the consequences?
