Thread by @Katja_Thieme

In year 3 of Donald Trump's first round of US presidency, #Quillette waves this article through to publication.

Reading it feels like being in a conspiracy theorists' fever dream. 1/

quillette.com/2020/08/16/the…

Everyone who isn't a die-hard liberal or bona fide conservative is a Marxist!

What, you didn't know you're a Marxist? You disagree with Marx? With Marxism? With self-identified Marxists? No matter! You're a Marxist! And you, you are a Marxist, too! Marxists everywhere! 2/

You know what it means if you don't like being called a Marxist because you say you aren't one? You are trying to confuse the good liberals and conservatives! That itself is an evil deed.

In fact, not calling yourself a Marxist is part of your plan to destroy everyone else. 3/

Does the author, Yoram Hazony, think he needs to provide any evidence for these conspiratorial claims? Nah. He does not. Onward with the fever dream! 4/

Marxists, who are everywhere and everyone who's not on the conservative side of things, they want only one thing. No need to provide any notes or sources, of course. Let's just feverishly proclaim: they want the destruction of liberalism itself! Scary and loud: Boo! 5/

While we're at it, let's conveniently equate liberalism with democracy and BOOM: Marxists, who are everywhere JUST LOOK AROUND YOU, they want to destroy democracy!

Democracy only works with two parties. Let's just say that. It's true because something something liberalism. 6/

Only a die-hard liberal and a bona fide conservative party, THERE MUST ONLY BE TWO PARTIES (less than 2+2), can have political legitimacy in a democracy. Take it from a philosopher in a country with a famously multi-party system, but no, actually, nevermind: ONLY TWO PARTIES! 7/

Now we get to the gorier part of the fever conspiracy dream: There is BLOOD IN THE WATER! Whose, we don't know. How so, who cares. Our author sees RED and MORE RED and that is that. Must be blood. Somehow. 8/

Well, that is not quite that, actually. I was too calm when I said so.

Because BLOOD IN THE WATER also means that Marxists WHO ARE EVERYWHERE are on their way to WORLD DOMINATION!

NO FREE NATIONAL WILL BE SPARED THIS TRIAL. 9/

I hope you can see why I needed to use so many all caps.

The end of the world.

It is coming.

You read it first in #Quillette.

If your eyes are still able to see enough to read, that is. Because, you know, watery blood and bloody Marxists. Everywhere. 10/