Something is happening to young people that is not happening among other age groups. What could that be? It seems obvious that what this age cohort has in common, which sets it apart from older adults, is that it contains students in and recent graduates of the school system. If the shift from liberalism to Marxism in our society is being driven primarily by the K-12 and post-secondary education system, then this poll tells us two things. First, it tells us that Marxist identity politics is capturing a lot of young minds. Second, it tells us that promoting racism to fight racism is dangerous for certain groups.

The biggest flaw in critical race theory, postcolonial theory, and the burgeoning anti-racism movement is that these ideologies try to fight racism with even more racism. It is important to understand why.

They define social justice as justice between groups rather than as justice for individuals. This leads them to reject the idea of objective, color-blind standards that give each individual an equal opportunity to succeed in life. For writers like Robin DiAngelo and Ibram X. Kendi, the goal is to equalize access and incomes for groups.

Shifting the focus away from individuals to groups defines success in terms of group outcomes rather than individual opportunities. So, if certain groups have been historically disadvantaged, the remedy is as much reverse discrimination as it takes to balance the ledger. This is something that the left sees as the task of big government using social engineering.

This represents a shift from a classical liberal individual rights approach to a Marxist, intersectionality approach. This shift has been advocated by the radical left for decades, but recent events show they are gaining ground. The emphasis on group identity over individualism and equity of outcomes over equal opportunity is no minor change in society’s structure.

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