this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2023
815 points (95.9% liked)

World News

39102 readers
2280 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] oatscoop@midwest.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

It's like how the far right tries to gaslight everyone by trying to change the meaning of the word "nazi". E.g.

  • "Oh, you call all right wingers nazis!"
  • "It's a historical term! Nazis don't exist anymore!"
  • etc

Tankies are doing the same with the word "tankie". Even "militant communists" aren't tankies -- unless they cheer on brutal oppression by authoritarian regimes.

[–] Draegur@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

i think it's relatively clear and obvious that there needs to be a word that describes regimes which systematically inflict violence upon their own civilians via mechanized artillery and the simps who support these regimes,

and that word is 'tankie'

now, if I had my way, it'd be a different word, which would have served the purpose of freeing up 'tankie' for another purpose (a pejorative for people who brainlessly and uncritically gobble up the bullshit of think-tanks) but that's not the world we live in. In this world, tankie refers to the scenario wherein,

Civilian Population: "We don't like what's happening" *peacefully protests and/or elects local leaders The Regime doesn't like*
The Regime: *dispatches tanks and/or shells the Civilian Population with artillery fire to brutalize them into submission or slaughter them if they don't submit*

Granted, the present usage of "tankie" also carries implications about a given regime's economic system (which is to imply that the regime's economic system is Centrally Planned) but frankly that's a stupid distinction to make when even capitalist regimes will do this to their own civilians too.

Ironically, the "Russian Speaking Civilians" that Russia claimed they were invading to "protect" have suffered greater casualties directly from Russian-fired munitions than they ever had before, so even though they are actually, in fact, UKRAINIAN civilians that they're murdering, taking them at their word about these victims being Russian civilians would literally make Russia's actions a tankie move.

By my more utilitarian definition of what constitutes tankie behavior, it also includes the actions of the previous Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, who launched artillery strikes against the very same Ukrainian civilians back in 2014 (and subsequently had his ass kicked electorally by Zelenskyy on the basis that Zelenskyy was NOT going to be attacking civilians) so... it stopped being ukrainian policy by the time russia invaded. Russia stopped nothing, and on the contrary resumed needless civilian slaughter.

And there are some witless shitstains around the lemmy fediverse who unironically defend this abject fuckery.

(AKA Tankies)

TL;DR: Yes I concur my friend. The definition and usage of Tankie is indeed quite well established, ACTUALLY.