The United States of America is known as one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world. All of our differences shape us into one democracy, but also separate us into many different factions. The lack of political participation right now in the US justifies the concern that the large representation of individualism present in our country has overshadowed our cooperative spirit as one nation defined by our shared ideals and values. Increased participation is often seen as unnecessary in today's terms because our nation has continued to thrive as a democracy without truly significant participation up through present day. The downward trend of participation is said to also demonstrate the false nature of the democratic ideal of political participation. However, participation in our government gives a sense of knowledge of who we are as individuals and as one nation. I believe that increased participation in the unanimous belief of democracy which is the one union that brings all us of citizens together will strengthen our cooperative spirit to preserve our role as the leader of democracy in the world. .
Individualism in the US can be interpreted by looking at many different aspects of our economy. The many different cultures, ideals, values, religions and races are clear components of a diverse and individualistic society. However, the main aspect that demonstrates an increase in individualism is our decline of civil society in the past few decades. Our society once flourished with our voluntary associations that kept citizens involved in the everyday culture of our nation. The amount of individuals involved in civil society is linked to the total political participation. Since the 1960's when the US had a strong civil society, it has be shown that as a result of the decrease in civil society "Americans have become 15-20 percent less likely to be interested in politics, 35 percent less likely to attend public meetings, and roughly 40 percent less engaged in political parties" (Democratic Debate, 73).
