Cao de Benos and the Appeal of Orthodox Marxism Outside the Left

Cao de Benos: Orthodox Marxism That Seduces Outside the Left

Cao de Benos is well-received. A North Korean representative in Spain, interviewed by the press, generates approval among an audience that does not identify as communist, and at first glance, this seems contradictory. But the attraction lies not in the character himself; it lies in the void he fills. Where much of the electorate expects classic left-wing politics and finds something else—a textbook Marxist discourse, uncompromising with the present day—it begins to sound reasonable even to someone who would never vote for a communist party.

The Pull of Unnuanced Analysis

The pattern is repeated with several figures associated with the so-called orthodox or paleomarchist left: individuals who champion class struggle and statism, and who are suspicious of what they call “cultural liberalism.” Their central thesis holds that the governing left has buried its historical principles, replacing them with other causes until it became a manager of the system rather than its opponent. It doesn't matter if the label doesn't fit entirely; what captures attention is the diagnosis, not the program.

Is Life Better in North Korea Than in Spain?

This is where the interesting leap occurs. Some argue that the orthodox analysis is sound and that, in indicators such as housing, security, or cohesion, North Korea fares better than Spain. For someone to write this today says more about domestic discontent than it does about Pyongyang. The objection is immediate: a police state that suppresses dissent without limit and maintains an unsustainable economic misery is not a model; it is a warning. However, the comparison does not fall apart.

Regarding the interviewee, his recent public presence, including appearances in Tarragona, and links to mysterious circles that fuel his profile have been noted. Neither ideological orthodoxy nor these flirtations fully explain it: the ground he walks on does.

Against this backdrop of malaise, it is predictable that voices like his continue to gain traction among those who no longer recognize themselves in the governing left. That this translates into anything more than interviews and polite applause is, given the available evidence, much less likely.