Tankie’s original use was for British communists who supported Soviet military expansion. In the modern sense, it is used to describe communists who are authoritarian-apologists. For example, a communist who romanticizes the Soviet Union or makes excuses for the Uyghur genocide is a tankie. I’ve also seen it stretched to include militant anti-capitalists, or more commonly, “militant,” anti-capitalists who call for violent resistance to capitalism from the safety of a keyboard.
Democratic-Socialists are not tankies. Socialists are not tankies. I don’t even think most communists qualify as tankies. Criticizing Democrats does not make you a tankie. Condemning Israel’s human rights violations does not make you a tankie. Voting third party doesn’t make you a tankie. I see this term used here every day, but never correctly.
[reads post] Yep, I’m using it right.
What do all serious auths have in common? The plan to use mass murder, at some point or another, as a means to an end. Unironically, my favorite thing about Tankies is how they’ll go from “communists aren’t violent murderers actually” to “you’ll get the bullet, too” in the span of two posts.
To clarify my position, I’m more closely aligned with anarcho-communists than any other serious political movement. I just think authoritarians of all stripes suck.
True, however equally true
I’ve not used it for anyone who wasn’t an authoritarian apologist, or who I meant to accuse of being an authoritarian apologist.
Well this is gonna tee up a measured and rational discussion.
Look man, 90% of this community is liberals and leftists picking fights with each other. If I can at least get them to start using the right words when the do it, I’ll call it a win.
That’s exactly what a tankie would say!
I got called a tankie for complaining about the lack of regulations when that lead tainted applesauce story came out.
Calling someone a tankie is just scraping the bottom of the barrel. It’s all they have.
Tankie: a Leftist that may self-identify as a Communist, or erroneously, a Socialist. Typified by their usage of a Hammer and Sickle or Joseph Stalin as their profile picture, these poor souls believe that the only way to achieve a Proletarian Revolution is to centralize power and control the flow of information similar to Stalin’s Russia or modern day China. This includes the threat or actual use of violence on their own citizens in order to maintain their version of the status quo. The ownership of the means of production will be nationalized. 3rd party government oversight would not have even been thought of. Basically fascists but with a red coat of paint.
“erroneously a socialist” oh come on. All communists are socialist but not all socialist are communist. You can’t just change definitions of words because you are a left-anticommunist. I don’t even know what to say besides read a book.
Did you read the self identify part?
In the modern sense, it is used to describe communists who are authoritarian-apologists.
When I first wondered “wtf is a ‘tankie’?” I was lucky enough to find a source that defined the term in a similar way. Still, I appreciate the verification, and you’re right - it’s often used incorrectly.
