[dragonwriter]

> I wonder how much of the modern identity politics framework has been influenced by the rise of modern marketing, which has an explicit focus on identity-based advertising ("I'm a toys-r-us kid!")

The kind of tribalism to which such advertising appeals is both millennia older than modern commercial advertising and has been a regular part of religious and political propaganda for millenia, which is where modern commercial advertising got it, not vice versa.

[citrablue]

True, but don't you think the sophistication and frequency have increased considerably since then?

Add in the fact that it comes from complete strangers, and I think even if it's roots are way back in history, the modern environment is very different.