I wonder is it's truly apathy or more of a collective dysthymia in America. One of the criteria for a major depressive disorder is anhedonia-inability to experience pleasure. A lot of people are in a pure survival mode and learned helplessness. They don't have the emotional, spiritual, or financial reserves to fight back. See it every day at my work.

I'd also beg to differ that Americans only care about themselves. The United States of America was consistently in the overall Top 10 Index of the World Giving Index but has declined over the past couple years, likely due to the pandemic. Source: Charities Aid Foundation: https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-research/cafworldgivingindex2021_report_web2_100621.pdf