This "reflexive selfishness" is a much broader phenomenon, not only confined to conservatism. It's partly an ideational legacy of the political order Thatcher, Reagan, Mulroney and Kohl created. 1/2
During Covid, this was true. Since Covid, even more true. It’s a reflexive selfishness, a rejection of the social compact, of shared community and purpose, of citizenry, and often of reality.