Mayor Mamdani's "Collectivism" Is No Slip of the Tongue—It's About Force, Coercion

Ryan Bourne

Newly inaugurated Mayor Zohran Mamdani last week promised New Yorkers that he would “replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.” He knows what he’s doing in setting up this dichotomy. “Collectivism” is not a slip of the tongue or a vague moral appeal to kindness. It is a loaded ideological term with a long, well-documented pedigree and an even longer rap sheet.

By collectivism, political theorists and its own champions have meant...