So why the focus on group identity?

So why the emphasis on group identity on the left? The left are collectivists. That collectivism might take the form of communism, socialism, or fascism. Each of these ideologies subordinate the will and the needs of the individual to that of the collective. It should come as no surprise then, that a focus on group rather than individual identity is paramount. Also, it is not surprising that collective punishment is part of the leftist way. Neither is it any wonder that meritocracy, which is a function of the individual, is not valued to nearly the degree it is by the right.