Credit: https://x.com/BanhmiBrieoche/status/1858838454546682001/photo/1

  • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
    ·
    edit-2
    10 hours ago

    The use of the word "tankie" these days is so over-used it has become synonymous with "left of the DNC." I've even seen Anarchists described as "tankies," it's getting ridiculous. Still, the word "tankie" is most often used by liberals against Marxists, though they won't admit to having an anti-Marxist bias, mostly because they think they agree with Marx generally but are unfamiliar with Marxist analysis.

    Really, more people need to read theory before having an opinion on it to avoid speaking past each other. I wrote an introductory reading list for Marxism-Leninism if anyone wants to get a better understanding of Marxism.

    • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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      edit-2
      8 hours ago

      thank you for that and the "what is socialism" post; but i'm encountering that theory is somehow still a HEAVY read for someone like who me has been inside the leftist sphere of influence for his entire life; there's needs to be some sort of sound-bite-able way of sharing these messages and i wish that ml's had the capitalists' deep pockets that guarantees a deep bench of talent that could figure something like this out.

      it reminds of my own own experience of going from technical support to software engineering by simply reading. your ignorance makes it daunting as first and you have to put in A LOT of effort to understand it when you don't even know the basics and you'll get there eventually if you stick with it; but most won't stick with it and if you're REALLY knowledgeable at it, it becomes difficult to understand why it's difficult for other people.

    • FrostyTrichs@walledgarden.xyz
      ·
      11 hours ago

      Back when I used reddit it seemed like everyone threw around Fascist in a similar way. Lemmy seems to prefer Tankie. For a lot of people the thinking doesn't go any farther than "I disagree with you, therefore you are ________ist" or whatever.

      It is what it is.

      • heggs_bayer [none/use name]
        ·
        8 hours ago

        The devs are tankies and there are some notorious tankie instances, like Hexbear and Lemmygrad, so they're a lot more visible here than on reddit.

      • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
        ·
        11 hours ago

        It varies from instance to instance. The main users of the word "tankie" are blahaj.zone, lemmy.world, and sh.itjust.works from what I've seen, most other instances generally aren't as bad about it IMO.

    • Whopraysforthedevil@midwest.social
      ·
      10 hours ago

      As I said in another comment, Tankies are often in support of the modern Russian state and the modern CCP. These are not positions that are "left of the DNC".

      • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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        edit-2
        8 hours ago

        Supporting the PRC is absolutely a Leftist position, as a Socialist country and a rising superpower it's the current best hope for Socialism, whether you agree with all of the CPC's actions or only some.

        Critical, reserved support for Russia's temporary and strategic anti-US Hegemony stance does not mean Leftists critically supporting Russia agree with the Russian state or support it.

        • Whopraysforthedevil@midwest.social
          ·
          9 hours ago

          Support for Russia's genocidal invasion of Ukraine in no way supports anti-US hegemony stances. They're literally stealing children and indoctrinating them-the same thing the US did while committing genocide against the First Peoples.

          Just opposing the US doesn't make Russia the good guys.

          • Kieselguhr [none/use name]
            ·
            edit-2
            6 hours ago

            They're literally stealing children and indoctrinating them

            Let's say there's a war going on, and let's say there are war orphans, or children who were already orphans before the war
            Let's say these children are also native Russian speakers, like many many people in Eastern Ukraine

            1. What should the Russian government do? Send these orphans to orphanages far from the front?

            2. Or: put them on the bus and send them to the Ukrainian government where they ban the Russian language and there are Bandera pictures everywhere?

            Do you seriously believe this is the same as what the Canadians did to the natives?

            I think the extreme version of this, "stealing children", is on the same level as the "Gaddafi 'supplies troops with Viagra to encourage massremoved'"

          • ShimmeringKoi [comrade/them]
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            edit-2
            8 hours ago

            Genocidal invasion

            The US is doing an actual genocide in Palestine, but thanks for telling everyone you don't know what words mean

          • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
            ·
            edit-2
            9 hours ago

            Russia's invasion of Ukraine isn't "genocidal," what would be closer to genocidal is the West's intention to fight Russia to the last Ukranian standing. Several times, Russia has tried to reach a peace deal, only for the UK and US to step in and tell Ukraine not to take it. The "stealing of children" is taking orphans from warzones and making sure they don't die.

            Russia's goal isn't to ethnically cleanse Ukraine, nor is it to "de-Nazify" Ukraine. Russia's goal is to totally ruin Ukraine's military capabilities as a means to prevent further extension of NATO encirclement around it's borders. This is a consequence of the 2014 Euromaidan coup, and goes all the way back to the dissolution of the USSR. When the USSR was sliced up and sold to the West for profit, 7 million people died, and a Nationalist movement led to domestic Nationalist bourgeoisie reclaiming industry from the West, beginning a long series of NATO expansion and encirclement to force Russia to open themselves up again for the West to profit.

            No, Russia are not the "good guys." No Communist believes Russia has morally just intentions and is here to save everyone. Communists believe Russia is acting in its own material interests, and those interests happen to align against US-Hegemony, which Communists see as the primary block for progress.

            Communists have as such advocated for both countries to negotiate a cease-fire since the beginning of the invasion. An ideal situation would be a cessation of NATO expansion and no bloodshed, but Communists have no real control over that.

            • GarbageShoot [he/him]
              ·
              edit-2
              9 hours ago

              nor is it to "de-Nazify" Ukraine

              I think they do want to do this, since the Nazis are extremely hostile to Russia, so it's crushing the opposition. Obviously this is pretty different from the historical de-Nazification efforts whose corpse Putin cynically puppets as cover for his actions.

              If there are meaningful factions of Greater Russia Nazis in Ukraine, he'd obviously be fine with those as he is fine with them in Russia.

              • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
                ·
                9 hours ago

                Sure, there is some element to that, but the mover and pusher is a removal of threats, not out of any anti-fascist dedication, hence why like you said Putin is fine with "Greater Russia" Nazis.