I was going to type something long about the French, but I am wondering if I haven't gone too far trying to apply logic to leftism. As you noted, it's all about the feels. That said, I still think that a main driver of leftist "feels" for a particular group is sympathy directed at, in particular, nonwhites. When it comes to competing nonwhite groups, the more primitive the group is, the more sympathetic a leftist will be. For instance, the San may occupy a higher place on the victimhood totem pole than the Bantu, as their lifestyle is more primitive. Leftists also support Amerinds in South America who practice traditional lifestyles over farmers/ranchers who are only slightly whiter but who employ more modern technology. And they would support the farmers/ranchers over the white or whiter Mestizo ruling class of their country. Being primitive correlates neatly with losing, so leftists can enjoy supporting the losers.