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KailaAlstonSecondEssay 4 - 07 Jun 2022 - Main.AdrianHernandez
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| | | Final Remarks
If society as a whole ever expects to beat this global pandemic it is necessary for us to trade at least some of our individualistic values for a collectivist state of mind. Perhaps then we could begin to return to ‘normal.’ | |
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Kaila, I really liked how you tied in the language customs when discussing the two different cultures—it's something that I don't think a lot of people would think shapes behavior, I think even within the United States, there are varying degrees of individualism. I'm not sure what the current culture is like in NY, but as I start my fourth week in TX I can say the level of individualism is even higher here. When I first moved back down here, I was the only one wearing a mask. When people would ask me what COVID-19 protocol/social norms are in NY, they were appalled when I told them we still wear out masks to a lot of places. It might be because NY is highly-condensed like a lot of the cities in collectivism countries.
I'm not sure what it would take for us to start caring for everyone again, but I'm afraid that we only exacerbated the current pandemic because of our individualism thinking. –Adrian
| | | [1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275714450_Individualism_and_Collectivism |
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KailaAlstonSecondEssay 3 - 31 May 2022 - Main.KailaAlston
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< | The Effect of Western Individualism on the US Response to COVID-19 | >
> | Collectivism and Individualism: How Societal Behaviors Shaped the Response to COVID-19 | | | | |
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< | -- By KailaAlston - 27 Apr 2022 | >
> | -- By KailaAlston - 30 May 2022 | | |
Individualism vs Collectivism | |
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< | In social psychology countries or cultures are typically sorted into two categories: collectivist and individualistic. | >
> | Individualism and Collectivism are two social psychological terms that, over the past 100 years, have been presented as opposites of each other.[1] Individualism has the traits of it’s constituents possessing an independent concept of self, their own goals independent of in-groups, an emphasis of rationality when choosing and evaluating social relationships, and finally, their social behaviors are belief, values, and attitude driven. Whereas collectivists possess a concept of self that is interdependent, their goals are compatible with their in-groups, they are relational in their social relationships and exchanges, and finally social behaviors are norm driven. The US and Sweden are two examples of countries that generally maintain an individualistic culture, whereas South Korea and Japan are two collectivist ones. This divide can be seen in several ways from language to dining rituals. For example, the concept of self extends into the way language is spoken in each country. In the Korean language the possessive ‘my’ (나의) is rarely used instead the equivalent of ‘our’ (우리). Whereas in the US and other English speaking countries the use of my and our are very distinctive. Given that the concepts of individualism and collectivism run as deep as language, it is not shocking to see that there has been a distinct divide in how individualistic and collectivist societies have responded to COVID-19.[2] The distinction in concepts of self have dictated how individuals will care for themselves, their immediate family, and their community broadly.[3] | | | | |
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I don't understand "typically." Perhaps some citation to this literature?
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> | Response of the General Public
The ways in which masking was perceived at the beginning of the pandemic and how the perception has evolved over the course of the past two years is a prime example of the divide between societies. Mask wearing in collectivist cultures, specifically those in Asia, was societally not an issue. The practice of wearing masks while one was ill, whether severe or mild, was already in place as common courtesy to protect others you may come into contact with. Country-wide mask mandates were received well considering this was already common practice in these countries. | | | | |
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> | The same cannot be said however, for individualistic countries – especially the US. In the US the response to masking was nearly feral. Masking was viewed as an infringement on individuals personal freedoms and liberties. As time in the pandemic progressed the resistance towards masking only got worse. With the information that masking was more to protect others from you than to protect you from others, the willingness to wear masks (which wasn’t high to begin with) plummeted even lower. The concept of caring for strangers and your community at large was not one that Americans had grown accustomed to. Rather the independent concept of self proved to be a hard shell to crack when attempting to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Anti-maskers far and wide have shown throughout the pandemic that they value their personal freedom and liberties more than the health and safety of those around them. Going as far as getting banned from restaurants, shopping centers, and placed on no fly lists by commercial outlines it is safe to say that an unignorable portion of this country believes that their desire for individual freedom far outweighs that of those in their communities. | | | | |
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< | A collectivist culture is one that generally prioritizes the needs, wants, and demands of the society or group as opposed to those of the individual. Countries with collectivist cultures include South Korea, Mexico, and Japan. Whereas an individualistic culture is one that generally prioritizes the needs, wants and demands of the individual over those of the group. Countries with these views include the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Ultimately these cultural differences affected the way each country responded, and continues to respond to, the pandemic as well as how the citizens of each country responded to COVID protocols. | >
> | Vaccination is another hot topic on how COVID-19 was handled by individuals in collectivist and individualistic countries. With the frustration and uproar in response to masking mandates in individualistic societies like America the vaccine should have been viewed as a godsend. Unfortunately, for a significant portion of the country this was not viewed as a saving grace. Instead, the COVID-19 vaccine and the vaccination requirements that accompanied its rollouts were viewed as another threat to their individual freedoms. Many people refused to even entertain the idea of vaccinating themselves against the virus even though this proved to be the most effective way to beat COVID-19 (at least in its most severe forms). They fought tooth and nail claiming that mandated vaccinations were a direct violation of their bodily autonomy even though mandatory vaccines have been around far longer than the 2020s. The visceral desire to maintain what they viewed as their personal freedoms led to some Americans losing all semblance of common sense and logical reasoning. With many people going as far as being willing to lose their jobs or even attempt to forge their medical records. | | | | |
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> | On the other side of things the collectivist response to vaccinations, much like their response to masking, was much quieter than the individualistic one. The engrained understanding of needing to protect one another as well as themselves allowed for vaccine rollout to mostly go without incident. As of today Japan, China, and South Korea all have vaccination rates over 85%. Individualistic societies sit at a much lower rate with Sweden at 75% and the US at 67% of citizens completely vaccinated.[4] | | | | |
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< | Mask Mandates
Mandated masking was received extremely differently in collectivist societies and individualistic societies. In individualistic societies, particularly in the United States, the response could almost be considered feral. Between the massive disparities in information between the states and the claims of freedom and liberty infringement from the average citizen, Americans truly never stood a chance of ever beating this deadly virus. While the initial disdain for masking could be explained by a lack of evidence that it worked in preventing the spread of COVID-19, the continued and worsening disregard for mask mandates doesn’t track with this theory. As the pandemic progressed our knowledge of the virus also progressed. It has been proven time and time again that masking is most effective when every party participates. However, this has been long disregarded by a decent portion of the population. The general rhetoric of the individualistic society is that masks cannot be forced on individuals and to wear one if you want but ‘don't impose your beliefs on others.’ The desire for individual freedom far outweighs the safety of others and the general public in the individualistic. COVID-19 has shown that the average American values their own sense of personal freedom more than the lives of their neighbors. | >
> | Governmental Response
The protocols implemented by each government also vastly differed depending on the type of society they governed. While no country's response was without faults, the individualistic governments’ approach was pisspoor. From the US refusing to implement a federal mask mandate until January 2021[5] (which was later struck down in federal court) to Sweden’s reluctance to consult with experts in public health instead crafting policies as they pleased[6] the results were disastrous. As the death toll climbed in the US and Sweden they were waved off as being primarily those that are disabled and elderly – something the majority of people were not. The rhetoric of “I don't fit into those categories therefore this doesn’t matter to me” was strong. This laissez faire attitude was not found in collectivist societies. The response in China, South Korea, and Japan were early, speedy, nationally organized, and communication was transparent. All things that individualistic protocols weren’t. | | | | |
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< | On the other side of the spectrum collectivist societies had a much less explosive response to mask mandates. In countries like South Korea and Japan it was already custom to wear a mask out in public if you were feeling ill or slightly under the weather in order to protect the people around you. This sense of caring for one another and not putting others in harm's way unnecessarily was already embedded into their culture. This type of general regard for others is systemic; it isn't something that can be taught. The value of the whole as opposed to just a piece in collectivist societies ultimately helped slow the transmission of COVID-19 in these countries as it spread like wildfire across the world. | | | | |
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> | Final Remarks
If society as a whole ever expects to beat this global pandemic it is necessary for us to trade at least some of our individualistic values for a collectivist state of mind. Perhaps then we could begin to return to ‘normal.’ | | | | |
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< | Vaccines
Given the frustration and uproar in response to masking mandates in the individualistic society, you would think there would be a better response to a potential permanent solution to the pandemic. This unfortunately was not the case. When it comes to vaccines, specifically in the US, it is an uphill battle. The same people claiming a piece of cloth is an intrusion on their personal freedoms and liberties are the same people claiming that a vaccine to shield against COVID-19 is also an invasion on their personal freedoms. Individualism and the importance of personal freedoms in the United States has become so strong and overbearing that common sense has escaped a significant portion of the population. Those who resist masking and vaccines do so because they believe that they will not die from the virus. There is no thought or care for those that may have pre-existing conditions or are immunocompromised. The individual raised in an individualistic society is not accustomed to worrying about anyone but themselves. Until they themselves are at risk they will not care for the actions of the collective. | >
> | [1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275714450_Individualism_and_Collectivism | | | | |
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< | Similar to masking the collectivist response to vaccines were much different than that of the individualistic society. There is an understanding that in order for this virus to go away, or at the very least become much less severe, there must be collective action as with any previous disease or virus. There is an understanding of the necessity of herd immunity to protect those who are unable to be vaccinated. As I stated before there is an intrinsic valuation of others in these societies that just does not exist in individualistic societies, at least not in the United States. That is why the vaccination rates are exponentially higher in the majority of these countries. Japan, the UAE, and China are all collectivist societies with over 80% of their citizens fully vaccinated. Whereas the US is sitting at 66% of their population being fully vaccinated. | >
> | [2] Ravi Philip Rajkumar, The relationship between measures of individualism and collectivism and the impact of COVID-19 across nations, Public Health in Practice, Volume 2, 2021, 100143, ISSN 2666-5352, | | | | |
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> | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2021.100143. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666535221000689) | | | | |
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< | Final Remarks
US action and response to COVID-19 never had a chance of being adequate due to the way our culture functions. Extreme individualism has ravaged our society in a way that has and will likely continue to cause irreparable damage. Until the average American can value the people around them in a way that’s meaningful we stand no chance of overcoming COVID-19. | | | | |
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> | [3] Maaravi, Yossi et al. “"The Tragedy of the Commons": How Individualism and Collectivism Affected the Spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Frontiers in public health vol. 9 627559. 11 Feb. 2021, doi:10.3389/fpubh.2021.627559 | | | | |
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The best route to improvement, I think, is to put the next draft in touch with the actual social science backing up what are here just assertions. From an editorial point of view there are holes at both ends of the bag. | >
> | [4] https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations | | | | |
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< | It's not persuasive social science to make binary classifications to explain the behavior of bloc units of tens or hundreds of millions of individual people. Any social taxonomy that makes the United Arab Emirates a "collectivist" rather than "individualist" society has some basic explaining to do. Any elision of regional and local differences in the continent-spanning 320 million people of the US is likely to miss important insights. | >
> | [5] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-the-federal-workforce-and-requiring-mask-wearing/ | | | | |
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< | At the other end of the bag, a lawyer's theory of social action is purposive. The goal is to make something happen using words. An analysis that divides all human social life into teams A and B, and the relevant social traits into mutually exclusive A-ones and B-ones is of no use to lawyers. So what, on a nuanced and local level of analysis, can words do to change behaviors in desired directions thought by the lawyer to be good for society?
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> | [6] https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-03-31/sweden-covid-policy-was-a-disaster | | |
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KailaAlstonSecondEssay 2 - 23 May 2022 - Main.EbenMoglen
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< | It is strongly recommended that you include your outline in the body of your essay by using the outline as section titles. The headings below are there to remind you how section and subsection titles are formatted. | | | The Effect of Western Individualism on the US Response to COVID-19 | | | Individualism vs Collectivism | |
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< | In social psychology countries or cultures are typically sorted into two categories: collectivist and individualistic. A collectivist culture is one that generally prioritizes the needs, wants, and demands of the society or group as opposed to those of the individual. Countries with collectivist cultures include South Korea, Mexico, and Japan. Whereas an individualistic culture is one that generally prioritizes the needs, wants and demands of the individual over those of the group. Countries with these views include the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Ultimately these cultural differences affected the way each country responded, and continues to respond to, the pandemic as well as how the citizens of each country responded to COVID protocols. | >
> | In social psychology countries or cultures are typically sorted into two categories: collectivist and individualistic.
I don't understand "typically." Perhaps some citation to this literature?
A collectivist culture is one that generally prioritizes the needs, wants, and demands of the society or group as opposed to those of the individual. Countries with collectivist cultures include South Korea, Mexico, and Japan. Whereas an individualistic culture is one that generally prioritizes the needs, wants and demands of the individual over those of the group. Countries with these views include the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Ultimately these cultural differences affected the way each country responded, and continues to respond to, the pandemic as well as how the citizens of each country responded to COVID protocols. | | |
Mask Mandates | | | US action and response to COVID-19 never had a chance of being adequate due to the way our culture functions. Extreme individualism has ravaged our society in a way that has and will likely continue to cause irreparable damage. Until the average American can value the people around them in a way that’s meaningful we stand no chance of overcoming COVID-19. | |
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> |
The best route to improvement, I think, is to put the next draft in touch with the actual social science backing up what are here just assertions. From an editorial point of view there are holes at both ends of the bag.
It's not persuasive social science to make binary classifications to explain the behavior of bloc units of tens or hundreds of millions of individual people. Any social taxonomy that makes the United Arab Emirates a "collectivist" rather than "individualist" society has some basic explaining to do. Any elision of regional and local differences in the continent-spanning 320 million people of the US is likely to miss important insights.
At the other end of the bag, a lawyer's theory of social action is purposive. The goal is to make something happen using words. An analysis that divides all human social life into teams A and B, and the relevant social traits into mutually exclusive A-ones and B-ones is of no use to lawyers. So what, on a nuanced and local level of analysis, can words do to change behaviors in desired directions thought by the lawyer to be good for society?
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You are entitled to restrict access to your paper if you want to. But we all derive immense benefit from reading one another's work, and I hope you won't feel the need unless the subject matter is personal and its disclosure would be harmful or undesirable. |
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KailaAlstonSecondEssay 1 - 27 Apr 2022 - Main.KailaAlston
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It is strongly recommended that you include your outline in the body of your essay by using the outline as section titles. The headings below are there to remind you how section and subsection titles are formatted.
The Effect of Western Individualism on the US Response to COVID-19
-- By KailaAlston - 27 Apr 2022
Individualism vs Collectivism
In social psychology countries or cultures are typically sorted into two categories: collectivist and individualistic. A collectivist culture is one that generally prioritizes the needs, wants, and demands of the society or group as opposed to those of the individual. Countries with collectivist cultures include South Korea, Mexico, and Japan. Whereas an individualistic culture is one that generally prioritizes the needs, wants and demands of the individual over those of the group. Countries with these views include the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Ultimately these cultural differences affected the way each country responded, and continues to respond to, the pandemic as well as how the citizens of each country responded to COVID protocols.
Mask Mandates
Mandated masking was received extremely differently in collectivist societies and individualistic societies. In individualistic societies, particularly in the United States, the response could almost be considered feral. Between the massive disparities in information between the states and the claims of freedom and liberty infringement from the average citizen, Americans truly never stood a chance of ever beating this deadly virus. While the initial disdain for masking could be explained by a lack of evidence that it worked in preventing the spread of COVID-19, the continued and worsening disregard for mask mandates doesn’t track with this theory. As the pandemic progressed our knowledge of the virus also progressed. It has been proven time and time again that masking is most effective when every party participates. However, this has been long disregarded by a decent portion of the population. The general rhetoric of the individualistic society is that masks cannot be forced on individuals and to wear one if you want but ‘don't impose your beliefs on others.’ The desire for individual freedom far outweighs the safety of others and the general public in the individualistic. COVID-19 has shown that the average American values their own sense of personal freedom more than the lives of their neighbors.
On the other side of the spectrum collectivist societies had a much less explosive response to mask mandates. In countries like South Korea and Japan it was already custom to wear a mask out in public if you were feeling ill or slightly under the weather in order to protect the people around you. This sense of caring for one another and not putting others in harm's way unnecessarily was already embedded into their culture. This type of general regard for others is systemic; it isn't something that can be taught. The value of the whole as opposed to just a piece in collectivist societies ultimately helped slow the transmission of COVID-19 in these countries as it spread like wildfire across the world.
Vaccines
Given the frustration and uproar in response to masking mandates in the individualistic society, you would think there would be a better response to a potential permanent solution to the pandemic. This unfortunately was not the case. When it comes to vaccines, specifically in the US, it is an uphill battle. The same people claiming a piece of cloth is an intrusion on their personal freedoms and liberties are the same people claiming that a vaccine to shield against COVID-19 is also an invasion on their personal freedoms. Individualism and the importance of personal freedoms in the United States has become so strong and overbearing that common sense has escaped a significant portion of the population. Those who resist masking and vaccines do so because they believe that they will not die from the virus. There is no thought or care for those that may have pre-existing conditions or are immunocompromised. The individual raised in an individualistic society is not accustomed to worrying about anyone but themselves. Until they themselves are at risk they will not care for the actions of the collective.
Similar to masking the collectivist response to vaccines were much different than that of the individualistic society. There is an understanding that in order for this virus to go away, or at the very least become much less severe, there must be collective action as with any previous disease or virus. There is an understanding of the necessity of herd immunity to protect those who are unable to be vaccinated. As I stated before there is an intrinsic valuation of others in these societies that just does not exist in individualistic societies, at least not in the United States. That is why the vaccination rates are exponentially higher in the majority of these countries. Japan, the UAE, and China are all collectivist societies with over 80% of their citizens fully vaccinated. Whereas the US is sitting at 66% of their population being fully vaccinated.
Final Remarks
US action and response to COVID-19 never had a chance of being adequate due to the way our culture functions. Extreme individualism has ravaged our society in a way that has and will likely continue to cause irreparable damage. Until the average American can value the people around them in a way that’s meaningful we stand no chance of overcoming COVID-19.
You are entitled to restrict access to your paper if you want to. But we all derive immense benefit from reading one another's work, and I hope you won't feel the need unless the subject matter is personal and its disclosure would be harmful or undesirable.
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