All leftists are Stalinists. What I mean by Stalinism here is the idea that anyone who is not 100% in agreement, with no possibility of dissent, must be considered to be a secret enemy. It’s by this mechanism that orthodox communist George Orwell, who objected *only* to the Stalinist regime’s mistreatment of other leftists, is thought of as the ultimate anti-communist and a conservative hero.

Of course in the USSR conformity was enforced by the GULAG, in the social democratic West only by social ostracism. It still works pretty well though. People know what you can and can’t say, and speak correctly, unless in select company. Such real dissent as we have now is based on internet anonymity, or the perception of it, and who knows if that will last?

It’s not strictly true that what you can say depends on who you are. A black person has no more right to be a conservative than a white person, he just won’t be regarded with suspicion for not saying the right things. The loyalty of a black person to the regime is assumed; the loyalty of a white person must be proved. How deviation is perceived varies; being against gay marriage is always wrong, but a black person against gay marriage will be forgiven as a victim of a benighted upbringing, while a white person will just be regarded as a rotten, cruel, hateful homophobe.

It’s true MLK talked about God but that part was dropped by the civil rights movement after 1965, and he was regarded as irrelevant at the time of his death. Only his murder assured his place in history.