93 points

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.

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70 points

You can’t be pro worker and pro China, the literal sweatshop nation.

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50 points

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.

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27 points

North Korea isn’t a monarchy. It’s a necrocracy. Officially the first Kim is still leader, despite being dead.

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22 points

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.

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31 points

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.

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15 points
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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.

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75 points
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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.

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47 points

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”

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39 points
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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!

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3 points

Huh. Just like Putin’s “nullification”

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15 points

That’s because they are reactionary scum, and just don’t like admitting it.

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46 points

Sincerely, thank you. Fuck these fascist edgelords.

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37 points

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!!!”

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21 points

All workers are equal but some workers are more equal than others /s

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11 points

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.

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44 points
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From wikipedia:

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.

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19 points

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.

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13 points

Red fash is a good alternative to tankie

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2 points

Don’t say it in US. GOP is red, but wrong kind of red.

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1 point
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5 points

Well, American liberals are pretty much capitalists that just want to spend more. Progressives might be more the distinction you had in mind

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2 points

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

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-3 points
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It’s a particular flavor of fascism, and a direct reference to Tienanmen Square.

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17 points

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)

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9 points

The term comes from support of Russia using tanks not support of China’s use.

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Tankiejerk

!tankiejerk@lemmy.world

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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.

Please be sure to obscure usernames on posts to prevent doxxing.

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