Dunking on Tankies from a leftist perspective.
A tankie is someone who defends/supports authoritarian or even totalitarian regimes who call themselves "socialist". The term originated from people supporting the 1956 invasion of Hungary by the Soviet Union. Nowadays they are just terminally online, denying genocides, and falling for totalitarian propaganda and calling such regimes "true democracies". remember to censor usernames when necessary.
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Seems reasonable to me. It’s strange to me how these people hate US liberals, never say a word about US conservatives, and love Russia and China, despite none of those things being in line with their professed beliefs.
You can't be pro worker and pro China, the literal sweatshop nation.
Tankies go out of their way to defend an absolute hereditary monarchy just because the Kim Dynasty says they are communist, defending China is nothing in comparison. They are the same kind of idiots as the ones that fell for the "Sozialistische Arbeiterpartei" (socialist workers party) part of the NSAPD's (aka Nazi party) name.
North Korea isn't a monarchy. It's a necrocracy. Officially the first Kim is still leader, despite being dead.
Sounds like a theocracy with extra steps
It basically is.
Weird mix between Fascism, and Theocracy.
Interesting read on this:
The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves and Why it Matters is a 2010 book by Brian Reynolds Myers. Based on a study of the propaganda produced in North Korea for internal consumption, Myers argues that the guiding ideology of North Korea is a race-based far-right nationalism derived from Japanese fascism, rather than any form of communism. The book is based on author's study of the material in the Information Center on North Korea.
It has layers, like onions, and green ogres.
They’re not talking about liberals in the way the word is used in contemporary American politics, they’re using the classical definition of liberal which fits most mainstream Americans be them democrats or republicans.
Right, I understand that distinction, but their philosophy doesn't make sense or hold consistence even in that context. The highest scorn is reserved for the most socialist American politicians, and American conservatives are pretty much 100% in line with the politics of Russia, other than gun control. Also, it makes no sense to revere China and Russia due to their governments being communist 60 years ago, because they are not now. Most of the discussion seems to be about foreign policy with little regard given to workers' rights or economics.
It's absurd.
The people running the show in Russia, are often the people who helped cause the catastrophic collapse of the USSR, along with all the suffering that caused.
I honestly don't get why people who go on about the ultra-rich and opposing capitalism, then support actual oligarch robber barons who's hobbies include raping underage girls, sitting on a whaleforeskin couch drinking overpriced champagne, and ruining countries from the safety of their goldplated super yaught.
Exactly fuck all the shit from the bottom to the top.
I'm not even communist — rather a Georgist myself — but it's so fun to portray THEM as the conservative reactionaries and paid shills. They literally don't even know how to properly respond. The best part is everything I said is 100% true: tankies ARE in fact errand boys for the imperial elites. Or at the very least useful idiots.
The best part is everything I said is 100% true: tankies ARE in fact errand boys for the imperial elites.
It's so unreal for me, that they'd champion Russia and China of all places. I remember reading a comment from one tankie defending Xi removing his own term limit. "Clearly people like him, he has overwhelming poll numbers. Depriving them of the chance to continue to vote for him would be undemocratic"
Depriving them of the chance to continue to vote for him would be undemocratic
Oh man, the irony. Do they not remember that China doesn't even pretend to have national popular elections? The people can't vote for Xi even if they actually wanted to!
Huh. Just like Putin's "nullification"
That's because they are reactionary scum, and just don't like admitting it.
Sincerely, thank you. Fuck these fascist edgelords.
I love that when the issue of Ukrainian working class being murdered and exploited under a Russian kleptocracy comes up, the only thing they have is "But NATO bad!!!!"
All workers are equal but some workers are more equal than others /s
They're now trying to say liberals are actually conservatives to confuse all of the liberals. It's a valid technique that could work if they keep trying to do it.
The term tankie is confusing to me as well though. Did this start because of North Korea, Russia, China parades or Tienanmen Square or something? It seems easier to just call them fascists.
The term "tankie" was originally used by dissident Marxist–Leninists to describe members of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) who followed the party line of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). Specifically, it was used to distinguish party members who spoke out in defense of the Soviet use of tanks to crush the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the 1968 Prague Spring uprising, or who more broadly adhered to pro-Soviet positions.^[7][8]^
Basically it's because certain western communists defended the use of tanks by the Soviet Union to forcibly crush rebellions, hence the term "tankie". I think it's useful to have the term because they're a distinct phenomenon from regular fascists in that they at least pretend to be leftist and thus tend to use different talking points and arguments — even if it's to achieve the same fascist goals.
I didn't realize it was such an old term and it could actually be looked up. The first I've heard of it was when I came to Lemmy. Thanks for clarifying.
Red fash is a good alternative to tankie
Don't say it in US. GOP is red, but wrong kind of red.
Ah didn't know they had already reserved that term
Well, American liberals are pretty much capitalists that just want to spend more. Progressives might be more the distinction you had in mind
Agreed, as an American liberal with one crucial distinction, we want to spend more to return more. 15% of my pay goes to health insurance. I'd like to spend more on the government level to return more on a societal level
It's a particular flavor of fascism, and a direct reference to Tienanmen Square.
while tankies ARE fascists the word "tankie" actually comes from the 1956 Hungarian revolution, when the Soviets sent in tanks to crush a democratic socialist revolution. The tankie part comes from the people who were overjoyed and happy when the tanks rolled in. (IFAIK mainly used for Western communists)
The term comes from support of Russia using tanks not support of China's use.
Reminds me of the Guy (I can't remember who it was) that one-upped the Conspiracy theorists. "The Moon Landing was faked" "You still belive in the Moon?!"
Yeah, I like it, kind of funny.
Oh man
my day has been made I love it
It always perplexes me whenever I see far-left american students excusing Putin (a far-right dictator who even wants a state from us), conservative gay men A) existing and B) supporting Trump, transgenders licking Stalin’s boots and ultra-Orthodox Jews in New York joining forces with the far-right because they’re both lobbying to make being trans illegal and think such politicians are Israel’s friends when in reality they’re just selfishly using it to fulfill their doomsday prophecy. Guys, they won’t and historically haven’t hesitated to throw y’all in camps on day one after getting what they want.
I mean that's true. Even fucking CPRF members hate Putin, his mafia and his imperialism.
You're the fucking man
I feel like tankies and anarchists proliferate on social media so well (relative to communists) because it's simple for them to comment something "fresh" on a piece of news whereas communists say the same correct things over-and-over and just get dismissed as class reductionist or champagne socialist. Tankies (and paradoxically anarchists) get to pick a side in the Russo-Ukraine invasion and vomit a myriad of poor excuses in defense of their position while communists can only advocate for revolutionary defeatism.
Feels odd to see tankies and anarchists grouped together
It's even funnier when you think there's Russian anarchists and Nazis fighting side by side against Russia in Ukraine lmao
People classify them as libleft and authleft but in the end they both carry water for capital. Anarchists are perhaps more articulate than libertarians but they both fundamentally agree that it's the right ideals/laws that make society prosper rather than the structure of the economy. Tankies think communism is when the state has a monopoly on labor.