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Examples Of Individuality In America

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Community and Individuality in America
The moral importance of a person or an individual is emphasized by his or her moral stance ideologically, political philosophy and socially. This forms the individualism of a person. Individualists focus on their goals and desires thus value self-reliance and independence. Individual interests take precedence over the interest of the nation or community at large. A community on the other hand has common values and its interests take preference over individual interests. Communities can be small or large, for instance, national community, and international community or even virtual communities. Individualism and community can conflict. According to Less Newman, a middle class American, “American society …show more content…

This is also seen in the Italy of Renaissance when Lorenzo and Machiavelli, the men of virtue’, when they forcefully proclaimed themselves as the masters of the time. After the industrial revolution, it can be seen that the medieval towers of san Gimignano like the office towers of New York, assert the priority and ascendancy of the individuals. Individualism has reached the most unrealistic level in the United States. Some despise it while others glorify it. According to Les Newman’s fellow alumni’s, “felt they didn’t need God, didn’t need religion. There was a strong impression in business school, the self-made individual, being able to do it all yourself if you just work hard enough and think hard enough and not having to rely on other people” (65). From these attitude expressed in the quote, Les Newman finds out that, self-made individuals don’t recognize the importance of God and thus doesn’t appreciate their need for him in their lives. This makes them not to appreciate their need for others. English language is also an issue with regard to Standard English and Black English. According to Barbara Mellix, “Speaking White English to the Whites was our way of demonstrating that we knew their language and could use it. Speaking it to Standard- English- speaking blacks was our way of showing that we, as well as they, put on airs. But when we spoke Standard English, we acknowledged that our customary way of speaking inferior” (387). This shows that the Black Americans who spoke non-standard English were forced to learn Standard English spoke by whites in order to be on the same level. The whites never bothered themselves to speak Black English because of their individualistic nature. Barbara Mellix was forced to learn Standard English through reading and

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