After the financial panic triggered by Obama's election in 2007 swept the globe and made Marx "cool" again with some in the first world, a new genre of news and magazine articles formed, which I call the "Marx is still wrong" genre. The common traits of works in this genre are a faint tone of incredulity and bemusement, caricatures of Marx as a demagogue and secular messiah figure, caveats about the people involved not being Bolsheviks, and a fevered insistence that, while there is a real class of people who could be called plutocrats, the fact that the middle class is still becoming richer* is all the proof that is needed that history really did end in 1991.

The function of this genre is twofold: first, it serves to dispel fears among the upper echelons and hope among the rabble that there will ever again be radical change in the economic world order. The youth of the intellectuals being discussed is emphasized, and it is implied that they are ivory tower types who are just playing intellectual games. Secondly, it's a great opportunity for hippy-punching, always a feel-good endeavor. My goal here is to list examples of this genre for your edification.

My first submission is Ross Douthat's Marx Rises Again. If you don't enjoy the writing style of boring centrist types then you may find this a tough slog, but for propaganda connoisseurs it will be a nice snack.

*When the fact that the growth of the middle class is miniscule compared to the plutocrats is brought up, it is claimed that everyone involved will always be content with this.