Weaponizing self-care is yet another tool of American individualism

Kofi Mframa, Opinions Editor

Popular news TikTok account @underthedesknews posted a video on Oct. 12 urging users to “stay off social media for the weekend” after conflict in the Middle East had spurred the week prior. 

This post represents an increasingly popular sentiment where people, specifically those in the Western hemisphere, use the preservation of their own peace of mind as a reason to be uninformed on political and human rights issues. Often doing so in the name of “self-care.”

However, using mental health and self-care as an excuse to ignore global humanitarian crises is just another sinister tool of American individualism. 

Early European philosophers described American individualism as an inclination towards isolation and an aversion to community — sapping the fruitfulness of public, collaborative life, according to Britannica. 

Our forefathers propagated this ideology largely in an attempt to escape the hierarchical social systems of Great Britain. They believed that a supposed “free market” with little to no government or overhead intervention would create a societal fluidity that justly rewards individual prosperity: The hardworking will prevail and the lazy will not.

This is simply untrue.

As capitalism abounds, we’ve been sent into social upheaval and the promises made by those before us — that if we as individuals work hard and put our well-being by the wayside for greener pastures, we would reap the benefits and join the upper echelons of society — have yet to come into fruition.

American individualism forces us to forgo community in our futile attempts at social and economic mobility. When self-preservation exists at the center of all we do, we turn a blind eye to those around us, especially those suffering. 

Self-care, as we know it, began as an individual protest against the social strictures that bind us by labor. It has now become a means to justify selfishness and individualism. 

So much of the discourse surrounding self-care, particularly in this political climate, makes the preservation of self a seemingly viable excuse for ignorance. Those who weaponize self-care often do so by employing the language of mental health and wellness culture.

They refuse to educate themselves on important issues because they claim watching the news, reading articles or even interacting with posts on social media takes too much of a toll on their person. They position themselves as victims of exposure to hardship and feign oppression whenever they interact with those who truly are oppressed. 

The ability to look away when atrocities occur is a privilege in and of itself. 

The fact that many in the West only see these atrocities through a phone screen further exemplifies our privilege.

Those in the Middle East who have lost family members and are awakened every night by the destruction of their homeland cannot look away — why should we?

Feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and rage are normal when we’re exposed to injustice. Instead of turning away and letting the despair overtake you, use that righteous anger to support those in need. 

The weaponization of self-care doesn’t just stop at politics, it impacts interpersonal relationships too. 

We use it as an excuse to disengage from the give-and-take nature integral to building relationships. We’re willing to take but unwilling to give. This prevents us from building any sort of meaningful connection.

Not every relationship revolves around you and your individual needs. The culture of weaponized self-care has made us forget that sacrifice is an integral part of building a community. Empathy has seemingly become a scarcity.

America’s individualist nature is the cause, but we can be the solution. We’re most powerful, and our voices are most heard, when we stand together.