the left really isn't supposed to be about everybody being the same, even if it's supposed to be about treating everybody equally under the law. in mathematics, we have a separation between identity and equality - and this is useful in computer science, as well. we can decide that the values of two variables are the same, or that the two variables are the same thing, and these are entirely different concepts.

the idea that everybody is the same is actually fascism, not socialism. the idea that everybody deserves equal treatment in order to uphold their individuality is what socialism and liberalism are supposed to be getting at.

so, marx' statement was from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs -  and that presupposes that differences of ability do in fact exist, as well as differences in need. the way to grapple with that in education is to teach to people's strengths and encourage them to maximize their potential, not to argue that we're all just equal worker drones; the latter idea isn't marx, it's mussolini (perhaps via lenin).

and, this is consistent. people label these utterly fascistic ideas that originated on the far-right as "socialism", and then decide that their fascism is left-wing. 

the era of orwell, people.

i keep stressing this. and, nobody's going to listen - they're just going to take me away.