What does “tankie” mean in this context?
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.
Wow TIL. Thanks!
PS. joined the Lemmy.ml instance and have received nonstop personal attacks for asking questions like that. Think I may have chosen the wrong instance. I really appreciate your response.
It’s because currently the term “tankie” is a very nebulous buzzword basically meaning “everyone left of me” and really being just liberal equivalent of how conservatists use “woke”. So when you ask the users of it to define it, they simply can’t, so they react with their usual modus operandi. Anyways, if you want to know more about communism, you’re welcomed to hang with us.