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Well written. As an English teacher, I innoculate my students against Marxism by reading Solzhenitsyn's "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," which allows us to explore the ideas and concepts of Marxism. To be fair, I do present all sides of the argument, including writings from Lenin, Stalin, and Marx, and allow the student to draw whatever conclusion they want about the desire of a party-run government to impose equality on a population. When those same students walk into a college classroom and the professor starts talking about historical inevitability and the evils of capitalism, those students should understand the professor's bias and outlook.

The real question is, "Why does the elite in the United States believe so deeply in Marxism?" Speaking from inside the academy, my observations: elites live in the world of ideas, one of which is utopia, and they have ideas about how to make the world a better place. The elites desire control so they can bring about a better world, with themselves, of course, in command. A Marxist prof once told me that the slaughter of the capitalists by the workers wouldn't be appreciated by the capitalists, but would be considered good by the workers. The dream conquers the world as it is.

"Why does the elite in the United States believe so deeply in Marxism?"

Because it was fashionable in the sixties. The elites were idealistic students who embraced revolutionary causes back then and, now, they have become the "establishment." Most of these students were influenced by Marxists intellectuals (Mao, the Frankfurt School, and, most recently, post modern French thinkers). The humanities is a breeding ground for this type of subversive thought. In the minds of the academics the fall of communism in Russia and all the atrocities associated with socialism and communism in the last century only proves that socialism and/or communism has not been successfully achieved yet -- they certainly don't critique their ideology to the point where the renounce it completely, as a flawed and dangerous ideology that's inevitably doomed to fail and worthy of being thrown into the dust bin of history. Most of these academics are rich and powerful and have made a lucrative and prestigious career of fighting Capitalism (Chomsky, West, Derrida, Fish, etc.). Cornel West pulls down $29,000 for one speaking engagement. I guess the real answer to your question is... unchanging human nature.