I know that the people on that subreddit are kids, but what generally is the issue with âtankiesâ about? Socialists support actual socialist countries, donât believe US propaganda, and donât support the US imperialist order. Is it basically just âwestern left anti-communismâ out straight of Blackshirts and Reds, or more general USian political illiteracy (i.e. Iâm a socialist like Norway shit)?
I agree with all the other comments here but I want to add one more to it.
Itâs nationalism. Mostly american nationalism, but also a âwesternâ nationalism that is basically âi support the imperial coreâ, aka the âinternational communityâ.
Everyone that properly gives up on nationalism and becomes an internationalist does not fall into this groupâs mindset. There are internationalists that disagree with us on many things but they donât see us with this childish analysis of good vs evil (where the US and the imperial core are on the side of good).
This nationalism that resides deep down is also a major difference between scratched libs becoming fascists vs scratched libs that do not. Also a major aspect between those who âsupport Ukraineâ(nationalism) and those who want an end to the war.
This is what people miss when they describe it. They are not just not knowing, they have been taught all of the life that the western camp is right and that all other are lying. They believe that they are better. Also than indigenous people. This is why they dismiss them so easily.
We arenât doing enough to target nationalism and promote internationalism and I keep saying it in the hopes that someone will come along with like better ideas than I have that translates to better propaganda. We have a lot of effective tools for being anti cop or anti troops or anti america or anti racism etc etc but I rarely come across anything that is anti-nationalism. I think itâs one of the biggest things we ought to be doing but I donât know effective tools for it.
Once we get people over the hump and out of nationalism this shit will become so much easier.
itâs definitely western anti-communism. calling them left is honestly giving them too much credit. theyâre against transphobia (because for better and worse, white USian transfemininity is culturally linked to spending a lot of time posting online). i donât think they have any particularly radical anti-racist, anti-capitalist, or feminist analysis outside of that.
Most of the anti tankie posters, especially the most vehement, would call themselves anarchists
Well Iâm an anarchist and Iâd call them various rude names.
Iâm not saying you have to polish off Xiâs taint, but if youâre an anarchist toeing the US State Departmentâs line, you would literally be doing more for yourself and the people around you if you just decided to commit to liberalism.
because for better and worse, white USian transfemininity is culturally linked to spending a lot of time posting online
Hey foreign countries are like that too, I know plenty of powerful trans Chinese posters
The term originated from those who followed the party line of the Soviet Union. Specifically, those who supported the use of tanks to quell the 1956 Hungarian Revolution were the original tankies. Today, it is used by liberals in the same way that a boomer would call Democrats âcommiesâ.
It is typically used as an insult by liberals who believe that they are the most progressive people on the planet. Instead of facing the harsh realities that they support fascist and imperialist policies or that someone else might be to the left of them politically, they instead berate anyone who calls them out on it.
If you donât support NATO, youâre a tankie. If you have anything good to say about China, youâre a tankie. If you donât think France should invade Niger - tankie. If you oppose sending tanks to Ukraine - TANKIE.
