It's always a little frustrating to me to see this framed as some very recent thing to do with Twitter or whatever. People have always folded beliefs into thei

It's always a little frustrating to me to see this framed as some very recent thing to do with Twitter or whatever. People have always folded beliefs into their identities and felt embarrassed or defensive when they are challenged. Most high-profile since forever is religion. Which brings me to another frustration, when it's presumed that there is something wrong with beliefs being involved with identity. I'm not even sure what capital-I Identity is supposed to be if not a system of beliefs about yourself and the world and how they relate. I don't think any of this is as new as it is often assumed to be. There appears to have been a rise in "identity politics" but even this is wrong; politics has always been about identity, it's just that nationalism or socialism or other principles can be part of someone's identity. Or in other words, they are beliefs. So maybe we are more individualistic in our politics, and maybe that is bad. Or maybe it isn't... It's probably a mixed bag!