• Noel_Skum
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    15 days ago

    Tankies were originally members of the Communist Party of Great Britain who were in favour of Soviet tanks mowing down first Hungarian and secondly Czechoslovakian ( as they were then ) protesters. These days it’s used as a pejorative towards anyone who has a good thing to say about communism / socialism etc.

    • Possibly linux@lemmy.zip
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      3 days ago

      It generally a tankie is someone who rejects facts in favor of beliefs. That is often communism related but I have also seen liberal people who also tend to fall into that category.

      • Noel_Skum
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        3 days ago

        It’s almost like there are people blinded by messianic fervour on both (all) parts of the political spectrum. Who’d’ve thunk it? Humans be deeply flawed creatures - but I love them all. (Apart from actual arm band wearing Nazis.)

    • goatM
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      15 days ago

      lol no it’s not. You can be a communist and not be a tankie. Tankies are hardly communists themselves.

      Tankies are authoritarians and defend authoritarianism. Do not use apologia.

      • Possibly linux@lemmy.zip
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        3 days ago

        I don’t think communism works without authoritarianism. Communism leads to mass starvation and totalitarianism in the end.

        I think a lot of people would define tankie as someone who is communist or far left. The the key characteristic of a tankie is rejecting factual information in favor of beliefs

      • Noel_Skum
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        15 days ago

        You genuinely have never heard it used in a pejorative way against any red? I never said all commies were tankies. I explained the words etymology and then its subsequent broad (mis)application in current online parlance. Hope you’re not reading theory with those comprehension skills, comrade.

        • goatM
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          14 days ago

          I’m not the one lacking in reading comprehension.

          Do you not believe that the tankies featured in this community are indeed tankies?

          • Noel_Skum
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            14 days ago

            What I’m saying is that whilst actual Tankies did, and still do, exist you do not have to be one to be called one. It’s now become a catch-all slur applied well outside of its original target.

              • Noel_Skum
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                3 days ago

                That’s really tickled me…

                Nice to see humour still exists out there. I can’t believe how all these (apparently) politically literate people (I think predominantly they’re Yanks) throw around these words: fascist, Tankies, liberal, libertarian, conservative etc with little precision. It’s a pity as all it does is stifle interactions - and no one will find common ground. Good way to keep the serfs under the cosh if they’re all bickering amongst themselves.

            • goatM
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              14 days ago

              Do the posts in this community feature tankies?