“It is not the government’s job to help people.”
I saw this comment, and at least a dozen others just like it, underneath a post about SNAP benefits, the morning after they were suspended on November 1st. My perpetual optimism allowed me to believe that people would at least have compassion for the millions of Americans who are now facing food insecurity, but I didn’t expect to see some people take genuine joy in the suspension of this program. To these people, I’d like to ask the following question: If it is not the government’s job to help people, then why do we participate in a governed society?
To understand this mindset, we must first examine how societies are structured. Collectivist versus individualist psychological ideologies have informed cultures and civilizations for centuries, with collectivism emphasizing the well-being of the group over the individual and individualism emphasizing the well-being of the individual over the group. When you think of the American philosophy of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps,” you are thinking of individualism. The same goes for capitalism, which is inextricably linked to private ownership and individual gain, and thrives in the individualist Western culture of the United States. This competitive culture contrasts greatly with collectivist countries such as Japan or South Korea, where social harmony is core to the culture. This is not to say that collectivist countries don’t have issues, but their group loyalty puts the American cultural divide into perspective.
If we use South Korea as an example, we can see how the collectivist culture is reflected in the government. Healthcare is universal, widely accessible, and affordable to all citizens. Advanced infrastructure for public transportation allows South Koreans to move efficiently throughout their country. 5.4% of Koreans experience food insecurity as opposed to 10.3% of American households. What these things have in common is that they rely on shared resources and cooperation, and prioritize the needs of the group above the needs of the individual.
If we contrast these examples with American society, we would see a government that is shut down because it does not want to help its citizens afford healthcare, a poor public transportation system that lends itself to a car-centric culture, and one of the highest rates of food insecurity among economically developed countries. I acknowledge that these issues are all extremely nuanced, but they all stem from the same sentiment: “It is not the government’s job to help people,” aka, “everyone should support themselves, and there is shame in needing help.”
There is a reason that the human brain is evolutionarily wired to feel safer in a group, and it is because living in a group, or in this case, a society, is supposed to be beneficial to the individual. If we act in the good of the collective, we act in the good of ourselves, but Western obsession with individual gain is, in my opinion, the root of so many modern American issues. Many people who oppose social welfare cite that they do not want to pay for so-called “freeloaders” and that people who benefit from programs like the ACA and SNAP should simply fend for themselves. This argument removes all nuance and dignity from these groups of people. The counterargument that I make to this individualistic frame of mind is that, if not to help people, why do we pay taxes to a government? Personally, I would so much rather my tax dollars go to programs like SNAP, healthcare, and more public infrastructure than to foreign wars. I would rather contribute my money to the good of the whole, even if a few people don’t need the assistance, than see anyone go without food or healthcare.
Thankfully, I am not alone in this sentiment. While the people in power may embody these individualistic tendencies, we have just witnessed widespread opposition from the American public in these most recent elections. Right here in Colorado, citizens voted to tax themselves so that all students could have a free school lunch. New Yorkers voted for a mayor who promised to raise minimum wages, freeze rent, and provide free public transportation. The American people crave a government that works for them, one that aligns with a more collectivist view. Change starts with the culture, and if people are able to give up some of their individualism in the name of empathizing with their neighbors, I think the group will only benefit.