[panglott]

On some level there's a tradeoff between individual autonomy and social interdependence, and different cultures fall at different places on the continuum between them.

Clearly the U.S. is at one extreme. But I don't know that one is "better": there are different benefits and costs. In the U.S. people have huge amounts of personal freedom and autonomy, but are more likely to live thousands of miles away from their friends and family, and struggle with loneliness. But there are different costs when you erode individual autonomy.