An epidemic of indifference
On hyper-individualism and the collapse of the social contract. How do we start caring again?
My writing brain seems to be colluding with my insomnia brain lately—which is to say that my mind cycles through a dozen thoughts per minute. I want to write about everything and I want to write about nothing and so I fall into inertia instead. I’m sure many of you are also feeling similarly assaulted by the barrage of news, media, memes, and the loud opinions of anyone who’s on the internet.1
Could this be why it feels like our collective default might be one of indifference? I don’t think it’s apathy or social isolation alone. Most of us really do care about what’s going on in the world, but the non-stop churn and spectacle of the news is a manufactured condition that is designed to distract, exhaust, and desensitize. We are simply overwhelmed.
Our attention is our most valuable, desired commodity that systems profit from, but crisis fatigue makes it difficult to sustain outrage and care. We mentally register each tragedy as it happens (or more accurately, as we learn of it), but then move on because there’s always another shooting, another climate disaster, or some other gross display of corruption or supreme power.
What may look like apathy is also the product of hyper-individualism. Sacrificing the self for the greater communal good is no longer in our collective consciousness, but it’s not exactly a failure of our human condition. In this current climate, and particularly in this chapter of American democracy and late-stage capitalism, it’s as much about survival as it is about self-interest. But where it goes wrong is when some are willing to cripple others along the way for their own power and corporate greed.
AI can automate certain job functions, but it’s corporate leaders who are choosing to slash the workforce amid record profits.
Dissolving vaccine mandates could be argued that it’s about preserving individual freedom, but most people don’t live in a vacuum in total isolation from others more vulnerable.
People who hold power don't necessarily want everyone to have affordable healthcare, childcare, and education because that would mean marginalized and oppressed groups would also have access.
The politicians ruling our country have waged a war against the very elite colleges that they themselves have attended, but it’s not just the ruling class elite who are pulling up the ladder behind them. Upward mobility can sometimes breed exceptionalism and class transcendence. Political rhetoric, immigration laws, and labor systems often pit groups against one another: racial groups against other racial groups, immigrants against the working class, immigrants against other immigrants.
We are sold a story that undocumented workers are the enemy. Immigrants are the enemy. Universities are the enemy. Americans who are critical of this administration are the enemy. So many enemies.2
Did the surge in hyper-individualism over the last few decades erode our ability to empathize? Empathy thrives on connection in shared experiences and spaces. Hyper-individualism places personal freedom and self-interest above community bonds. The self becomes a commodity in a consumerist culture; we look inward for meaning and happiness rather than outward toward community.
But we should all be concerned about the breakdown of the social contract where collective responsibility once defined the human experience. Self-preservation can be healthy and is often necessary when faced with the pressures of capitalist life, but it may very well be our downfall if it’s at the expense of social bonds and moral obligations.
I’m also observing a general lack of activism and outrage in younger generations (and I’m including my kids and their peers in this very sweeping statement). I realized recently that the isolation of the pandemic was so much more damaging to my kids than I ever wanted to admit. It changed Gen Z in such profound ways. Their adolescence was shaped by a surge in hyper-individualistic culture and they grew up in a 24/7 stream of crisis and doomscrolling often met with the silence of political inaction. I don’t think they’ve ever known a stable baseline. How else to react when nothing ever changes?
So what is there to do other than the obvious, which is to invest and support our local communities? How do we return to, and mirror for younger generations, a healthier balance between individualism and the greater good? How do we make people care again? Indifference is such a dangerous state of being.
"Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred.”
-- Elie Wiesel
I was in a subway elevator the other day when one rather brave commuter broke the silence and the unspoken rule of avoiding eye contact on the subway.
“Have a great day, everyone.”
Not surprisingly, it was followed by silence. But then, 15 seconds later a single voice answered back “thanks,” which was met immediately with a reply.
“Thank you for responding.”
Everyone in that elevator relaxed their shoulders with a little smile before going off in different directions.
I know this isn’t the answer—I don’t know what is outside of new leaders and a revolution—but maybe the easiest thing we can do right now is one simple gesture a day. Small acts of connection that hold power in numbers.
Related reading
A roundup of links & recs
To read:
Korea’s major US investment projects halted as detained LG Energy workers set for release (The Korea Economic Daily)
Talk about FAFO. The recent Hyundai ICE raid was apparently tipped off by a Republican MAGA running for Congress and she is getting dragged on social media. She may have thought she was doing the “right” thing by reporting illegal workers in Georgia who she perceived as taking American jobs, but it’s eroded South Korean trust, potentially costing thousands more jobs, and set off a diplomatic crisis. This, after South Korea pledged $150 Billion in investments in the U.S.
Countries were told by the president to build their factories in the U.S. to avoid tariffs, and so they did. It still may not be clear what exactly the visa situation these workers were violating, but the bigger issue is that these engineers and technicians who were here to set up and train American workers were televised shackled in chains and treated like criminals.This automobile union worker going viral on TikTok explains it with this warning: “We are cooked.”
Adapt or die? When total brand overhauls work, and when they don’t (It’s Nice That)
The backlash of brand redesigns. People are resistant to change because “nostalgia is the anchor now.”So um, why do we say 'um' so much? (NPR)
Have you ever tried to curb all your “ums,” especially when publicly speaking? So hard. So very hard.A.I. Is Coming for Culture. We’re used to algorithms guiding our choices. When machines can effortlessly generate the content we consume, though, what’s left for the human imagination? (The New Yorker)
A long read, but thought provoking. I just had a conversation with a friend about this the other day. AI has entered the culture space, but where is this all headed?
The Slow Death of the Contemporary Art Gallery (Hypebeast)
Not really a bad thing. Art isn’t going away, but the system is evolving. “Blue-chip” artists are making way for “red-chip artists, a new class of talents whose value is built on viral hype and cultural relevance rather than institutional endorsement.”Across Cultures, One Key to Happiness Stands Out (MIT Press)
Relationships. It’s always about human relationships.Stop Acting Like This is Normal (The Ezra Klein Show)
Please listen or watch. It may be Ezra Klein’s most important episode.
Songs on repeat:
I don’t think I’ve ever posted a song or a playlist here before, but hey, why not. “Darling, I” was first released late last year, but Tyler the Creator dropped the music video recently and I’m listening to this song on repeat all over again.
I love this live rendition of Audrey Nuna’s “Mine.” Fans of KPop Demon Hunters may know that singing voice as Mira, one of the HUNTR/X singers, and if that is one way that audiences are discovering this young artist, then good. (By the way, I do have a favorite song from the movie, which officially passed Squid Game as the most watched Netflix title ever and it’s not Golden—it’s Free.)
I do need to acknowledge the irony of this newsletter written by a stranger on the internet which many of you are reading on your devices. Apologies for feeding this cycle—but that’s sort of the point, isn’t it? We live so much of our daily lives through our screens that it feels like we’re all disappearing into our phones. As always, I am so grateful that you are here.
Reeling from the Supreme Court ruling that effectively gives license for ICE to go after targets based on racial profiling. “We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job” – Justice Sotomayor
Thanks (once again) for putting things that feel hard to pin down into words. I loved the story of the elevator. I think we throw around the word “community” often when we in fact aren't making the effort to connect but are consuming - consumers of the benefits of community without contributing. Your writing today illustrates why.
“I want to write about everything and I want to write about nothing and so I fall into inertia instead.”
100% how I feel.
It’s challenging not to scream out at everyone, “CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE A SHIT ABOUT SOMEONE OTHER THAN YOURSELF?!?!?!”
I have been in multiple situations recently where the level of apathy toward others was maddening.
I think the solution is to keep searching out the situations and people who are actively giving a shit. Elevating their stories. Championing their work. It matters. It matters where we focus.
Also? You’re still writing and that’s not inertia. 💗