agamemnonymous comments on Tankies hate this one weird trick

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

The term "Tankie" originated in the UK during the Cold War to refer to British leftists who approved of the Russians using tanks to violently end the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Broadly, it refers to any "leftist" who endorses authoritarian methods, so AuthLeft basically. If your vision of the revolution requires gulags and firing squads, you're a tankie.

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[–] WereHacker@lemmy.ml 1 point 3 weeks ago (1 child)

Thank you. That is a good definition. I personally am very careful not to judge others stances on stuff. That goes double for other leftists. I find slurs tend to dehumanize others instead of understanding them. But I do understand the frustration over people who seem to get it and then suddenly defends attack on civilians and the like.

This position has resulted in people calling me a tankie here on lemmy.

Would it be too much to ask of you come with an example instead of just a definition?

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[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago

I mean, the definition is based on an example: supporters of the USSR's use of tanks to crush the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.

But other examples include denying or excusing authoritarian behavior carried out by nominally "socialist" regimes: imprisoning or executing dissidents, imperialism, suppression of freedom of expression, etc. Usually there's an undertone of double-standard where regimes that call themselves "Communist" or "Socialist" are excused for actions which would be considered authoritarian oppression under a liberal government.

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