the false dichotomy between individualism and collectivism

So, before introducing my thoghts on this reading, I'd like to say that despite agreeing this is a false dichotomy (between individualism and collectivism), there's a very similar and real dichotomy (an unilateral one) that makes collectivists tatically avoid individualists in a conjuncture of political stagnancy/apathy or in a pre-revolutionary environment. Why that? Because at these moments collectivists feel that people are in need of union and harmony of action.

Are they wrong or right? Not so much, I think. -jk ...But some collectivists are wrong when they deny the very existence of primitive greed and selfishness. You see, if the conclusion must be to seek for an expanded form of egoism... I don't think so.

I think we should accept the existence of egoism. Not necessarily take egoism as the foundation of a communist society, mainly because this "expanded egoism" is exactly beyond the individual, it reaches the collective, like ubuntu (the philosophy). I prefer to call it "ambition", not greed neither selfishness. My understanding of collectivism was never the denial of individual, but the respect (not acceptance; not subordination) for the others will. Sometimes we'll want things that might make others disagree and it's not a matter of not being greed enough, it's a matter of diversity of individualities or even a matter of too much greed for power.

Egoism is an individual expression, if one's understanding of egoism is to get wealth through exploitation, I don't think you can change him/her by spreading the message of peace and love: no, man, you're not being greedy enough. If one's (narrow) egoism leads her/him to exploitation I have no problem with its supression.

The challenge is not simply to acept greed, and hope it will turn against itself. But as we can understand it as part our subjectivity, we should overcome the old bias against all forms of greed/egoism/individualism identifying it's healthy forms in contrast to its bourgeois' manifestations (narrow).