Your own culture feels like wet feels to a fish.

You don't think the US us individualistic because you are immersed in that culture so it just feels normal. You'd have to go and live in a collectivist culture for a while to tell the difference.

Also most cultures are made up of opposite extremes not just single traits. The UK is highly individualist but also very nanny state. This seems contradictory but actually one causes the other. Because each individual life is considered more precious than the welfare of the group people become super risk adverse. Any single life lost to normal risky things is a made out to be a huge tragedy which someone must be blamed and shamed for.