The thread began interesting 405, nice beginning!

I came across the notion awhile back that associated the idea of "collective individualism" with the Scots and how the author thought their sentiment/practice imbued early America. The meaning I took from it being that individuals operated independently, excepting when the community/group was threatened in some mutually obvious way.

In Vermont it is said that, "good fences make good neighbors", which means(ala the 4th) mind your own business unless you're asked to butt-in or it's obvious a hand is needed straight away, post haste even(if you don't help when you could(among the country people especially) you're not looked favorably upon ever after. Or anyway until an opportunity presents to redeem ones self, somewhat anyhow). The fences being intended to impose a mutually beneficial civility, not permanently wall us off from one another. [Frankly, I believe this to be the usual state of affairs among rural peoples until external force is applied.]

I look at the Chinese marching(figuratively speaking) as any marching band, a bunch of individuals working cooperatively to a specific end. In the Chinese' case, perhaps there was a bit more motivation, in terms of personal safety, in the aftermath. (Fear is after all an effective, motivator of ones focus.)

I don't know about the microbe stuff(that seems rather more pragmatic), but it's pretty obvious to this observer, that the norm of collectivist is fairly uniformly "enforced" from the top down. (I am however open to examples to the contrary.)

Besides, the article is not about individuals apart from the systems they'll put up with, and of course our society is being pushed toward the international norm of collectivism. Ahhh ...

peaceably