Pushing a worldview that everyone and everything throughout history can be seen through the lens of oppression and colonization. This leads to exactly the kind of stereotyping by identity group that classic libs back in the day tried to combat. It also leads to plain old misuse of words like “colonization”. I agree that it is not about antisemitism per se. But this worldview can’t help but lead to adherents ultimately assigning guilt to non-Israeli Jews. The reason that Ferguson claims his friend’s son all the sudden is called a kike, in Palestinian colors. He’s a Jew so he’s collectively guilty in their eyes.

A young Muslim kid was murdered by his landlord for his role, essentially, in the Oct 7 attacks. Kid was 5 and never stepped foot out of the country, far as I know. Three young Palestinian American kids wearing their colors were shot in Vermont. I am sure Muslims on campuses share their Jewish counterparts’ sense of insecurity.

Where I disagree is I see no intentional drive towards totalitarianism, or drunkenness with power, among the new adherents to this worldview. I think it is more a road to hell paved with good intentions. Freedom of speech redefined, so that if a speaker has ideas about promoting DEI which bucks academic orthodoxy, he’s shouted down, because his “speech = violence”. Gay, and apparently her bosses on the board, don’t seem to see the hypocrisy in her responses now vis a vis concerns for non-whites during the Floyd backlash. Because Israel is inflexibly, absolutely, defined in this worldview as a colonizer and an oppressor. I agree with those who believe (mostly in academia from what I’ve seen) that the vast majority of these people never heard of the Balfour Resolution, and have no concept of what the UN mandate intended. In spite of the long history of oppression of the Jews, all Jews tend to be viewed by these folks through the lens with which they view Israel.

All of that leads to illiberalism from the left, whether or not you want to call it totalitarianism.