On every parametric cultural ontology I've seen the U.S. comes out at the top for individualism, e.g. Hoftstede's IDV: {US, 91; China, 20} [1]. This is why we believe in free speech, even if it's hateful speech, to a level alarming to the rest of the world. As Americans we are likely to see society as a composition of individuals than a cohesive system, or of individuals as points on the fabric of society.