Woke Right Magazine Publishes Communist Manifesto Excerpts in Hoax, Igniting Conservative Debate

New York, NY – A calculated hoax orchestrated by prominent anti-communist commentator James Lindsay has sent ripples through conservative intellectual circles, exposing what he terms the "Woke Right's" alleged adoption of Marxist-like ideological frameworks. Lindsay successfully submitted a heavily adapted excerpt of Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto to American Reformer, a prominent evangelical magazine, which subsequently published it, believing it to be an original piece of "New Right" thought.

The article, titled "The Liberal Consensus and the New Christian Right," was published under the pseudonym "Marcus Carlson." Lindsay revealed the deception, stating his intent was to demonstrate that certain elements of the contemporary right, which he labels the "Woke Right," employ the same "conflict theory" and "demagoguery" as the left. "I hoaxed American Reformer in November by getting them to publish six pages or so of the Communist Manifesto dressed up as their ideology," Lindsay stated in a tweet, adding that the magazine claimed it was a "reasonable aggregation of some New Right thought."

Lindsay contends that the "Woke Right" shares fundamental structural similarities with the "Woke Left," particularly in their reliance on an "oppressor versus oppressed" dichotomy and tactics such as "victimhood mentality, the cancel culture, [and] struggle sessions." He argues that while the "Woke Left" identifies economic class or identity groups as oppressed, the "Woke Right" applies this framework to what they perceive as the oppression of traditional values, Christianity, or national identity by "classical liberalism" or a "post-war liberal consensus." This, he asserts, leads them to adopt the "Marxist analysis" they ostensibly oppose.

Figures like Notre Dame philosopher Patrick Deneen and commentator Sohrab Ahmari are cited by Lindsay as examples of intellectuals contributing to this "Woke Right" phenomenon, alongside more controversial figures such as Mike Cernovich and Carl Benjamin. Lindsay criticizes their perceived willingness to embrace Marxist critiques of capitalism and liberalism, albeit with different "solutions." He suggests that these elements of the right are "picking up Marxian 'analysis' (thus worldview) and 'tactics' (thus worldview because in Marxism, theory and praxis are wedded), including Critical Theory and Postmodernism."

The incident has sparked significant debate within the conservative movement, highlighting internal ideological rifts. Lindsay, known for previous academic hoaxes like the "Grievance Studies Affair" where he submitted fabricated papers to academic journals, views this as a continuation of his efforts to expose what he sees as intellectual dishonesty and ideological convergence. He warns that this "Woke Right" trend could ultimately undermine broader conservative goals by alienating potential allies and mirroring the very behaviors they criticize in the progressive left.