Hi Low Bro,

Thank you for reading, first of all, and let me start by making one thing perfectly clear - no part of any of my article or argument is intended, or should be read, as a defense of abuse, abusers, or abusive situations. In this series I lean heavily into advocacy for personal empowerment, education, and agency. I have absolutely no interest in defending an abusive situation, and I'm very glad you got out of one.

With that being said, the point of this article is to make the case, as you mentioned, that balance is needed. In my personal opinion Americans err on the side of too much individualism, to the point that they remove themselves from the advantages of co-located families and social groups to a large extent, and over-inflate the value of individualism in cultural expression.

To put that another way, I'm not trying to make the argument that collectivism is always good, any more so than I'm trying to make the argument that individualism is always bad. I would instead say that *extremes* are bad, in either direction. Extreme collectivist mindsets have the weaknesses you so thoroughly point out. Extreme individualist mindsets have the weaknesses I pointed out.

In any case, I certainly don't fault you for adopting a more individually-focused life, especially after the trauma you have endured, and I certainly do not wish to identify myself with book burnings, lynchings, or racist ideologies. I have a whole series of articles that specifically addresses those points, as it turns out. I'm not sure how you got to the impression that I approve of those activities, but however you arrived at that conclusion, allow me to respond that I do not wish to demonize you for your choice, and that's not the argument I intend to convey with this writing.

And again, I applaud you for taking control of your life and finding you own path.

Best wishes,

Allen