The New Puritans: How the Religion of Social Justice Captured the Western World

by Andrew Doyle

This is not to suggest that tackling injustice and prejudice should not be a priority, but the application of this kind of framework only creates a new kind of hierarchy, one in which various factions compete to be the most victimised. Moreover, there are infinite possible variables when it comes to gauging levels of oppression. We need not look beyond our own experience to know that individuals who are conventionally more attractive tend to enjoy undeserved advantages. Indeed, there are countless ways in which one person can be privileged over another. Many are accidents of birth – such as health, temperament, height, or intelligence – and the list could go on indefinitely. The solution for the intersectionalists is to restrict their framework to a few key factors: race, gender and sexuality. As already noted, it is remarkable that class, the most direct source of social privilege, is usually overlooked.