Individualism, Out of Step

People are first and foremost individualistic, no prone to collectivism without force being applied. It can also be called ethical egoism, when the goal of the individual is not to thrive at the expense of others (property, labor, liberty, etc.). Ayn Rand is often criticized for Objectivism for ethical reasons that self-interest is not conducive to Mutualism (the epistemological arguments are a bit beyond me unfortunately at this point), but more than anything these people are recognizing and acting upon the inherently individualistic choices we make in our daily lives through voluntary exchanges. Individuality is what drives progress and innovation, not regulation and collectivism. By homogenizing the population, we cull out those individual traits that drive progress. These positions and arguments are the reason that I have not been keen to allow myself to be labeled since I was a child. I can not associate everything I do with one group or culture, everything I am with a political ideology or religious theology. I'm more inclined to strive to be Out of Step than mold myself to fit a label. One of the failures of individualism within social ideologies (such as liberal or conservative), is that it is based upon the non-consensual submission to authority through the state, which is a form of oppression, and is hardly individualism in application.