Conspiracy and meme in the alt-right

Notes on the myth of cultural marxism

Abstract

The widespread idea of “cultural Marxism” among alt-right collectives takes on the shape of a dark and bewildering myth that works like a conspiracy theory. This article offers, in its first part, a journey through the genesis, structure and meaning of the myth, placing the focus on the misleading link between Marxism and postmodern philosophies, which is essential for the conspiracy theory to be operative. The second part investigates the path and reach of the phenomenon through social media: visual appropriationism, memes and anti-Marxist propaganda make up the symbolic ideology of right-wing populism.