If Trump is elected the fault will be US’s love of ruthless individualism

If the worst happens, don’t blame the FBI or the Russians. Blame capitalist individualism, writes Victoria White

ON’T blame the emails. The FBI probe into Hillary Clinton’s use of her private server could push Donald Trump over the line. But this has been coming: for the last 40 years, the US stage has been carefully set, by both Democrats and Republicans, for a president such as Trump.

Starting in the 1970s and gaining traction in the 1980s, a cult of individualism has eaten away at the struts of American social cohesion. It is like an infestation of hungry rats. It has ripped up the dominant American myth that you can be anything you want, if you work hard. It has meant that many young Americans today struggle to afford the standard of living and education their parents had.