Rugged Individualism Today

The myth of the rugged individual.

Rugged individualism today.

People who aren t familiar with both are those who think reaching your lifetime goals don t require any effort or any struggles. After all the rugged individualism of herbert hoover was believed by. I believe it isn t really called by that term but people know it as the american dream. In america today your life chances depend largely on how you started where you grew up and how much your parents earned.

The term rugged individualism was coined by president herbert hoover in 1928 as a way to describe the american philosophy of self reliance and the need to be free of government control and this ideology is the problem. This is an oddity but for a very long time the term rugged individualism seems not to have existed. During the 1950s a decade of economic prosperity free market capitalism and mccarthyism such views were controversial. In america today we still struggle with people who don t live up to the idea of rugged individualism.

Calls to break down the federalism structure whether by strengthening executive power or turning to some kind of parliamentary system or allowing the courts to take over our social and economic decisions are a kind of declaration of war against. It s a win win scenario. Frederick jackson turner should have coined it in his 1893 essay on the frontier but he didn t. If rugged individualism is your growth ceiling teamwork is the hammer that will break through it.

It helps that it now has a name. What s more when you adopt this mentality of me plus you equals more you attract other people with that same mindset and everyone grows together.