-16
Comrades, how many libs do I need to get me to call me a tankie before I get my standard issue tank?
(lemmy.ml)
Is there like a punch card or??
this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2025
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It's a pejorative for Marxists, usually Marxist-Leninists, in the same vein as "commie," "pinko," and "red." That's about it.
I think everyone has their own definition, though it’s definitely a crude slur.
I dunno a more respectful term, and my political leanings have changed over time, including recently…
Like I will nod my head as whatever capitalism or NATO or whatever has done. 'Yep, probably right, beyond awful'… But whatever the word/slur is, I draw the threshold at sheer inability to see self criticism, to an extreme. That’s a “tankie” to me.
I think would call extreme hyper capitalist apologists the same thing, where every awful thing capitalism and associated isms have done is just communist propaganda or whatever. That’s just too much for me.
The problem with having your own definition of a social term is that whenever you use it, others all generally see it as a negative term for a communist. For what it's worth, I don't really see people unable to perform self-crit among Marxists, but I see the word "tankie" thrown nonetheless.
I've seen Marxists use the word too. It usually refers to authoritarian communists.
"Authoritarian" is a meaningless word, usually attributed to those who support proletarian states against landlords and capitalists. The "Marxists" that call other Marxists "tankies" tend to be the extremely western chauvanistic types that wish to endlessly critique society, not change it.
To clarify, I was referring specifically to Russia, China, and North Korea.
To clarify, the overwhelming majority of Marxists support AES overall, except the very western, chauvanistic types that wish to endlessly critique society, not change it.
What does AES mean in this context?
"Actually Existing Socialism," countries like the PRC, Cuba, Vietnam, Laos, DPRK, and former USSR. Countries that have shifted to a mode of production where the large and key industries are publicly owned, rather than privately owned. The vast majority of Marxists worldwide support these countries, to varying degrees and of course with nuances. The ones who claim the title "Marxist" yet condemn them and those who support them as "tankies" are the chauvanistic western type devoid of meaningful practice.