I’ve run across these terms several times, but without enough context to figure out what they mean. Could someone help me out, please?
ETA All of you are amazing! A huge thank you to everyone who responded, and an extra thank you to those who have provided links or explanations to further and/or related information. I am learning so much by reading all of these comments!
Sealioning originiates with this comic strip. Tankies is a perjorative term broadly applied to anyoneone with marxist-leninist beliefs, applied by centre left and liberals. It refers originally to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia with the implication being that “tankies” support the crushing of resistence to Soviet authority but used more generally just do dismiss anyone with militantly anti-capitalist ideals.
It’s a term that originates with the left. Specifically, those who broke with the USSR over imperialist invasions, referring to those who did not. More broadly, it refers to the authoritarian left (as opposed to the anarchist left).
Tankies are generally not just anybody with communist perspectives, but a. certain extreme. A tankie is the type of person who will essentially argue that capitalism and western society are the roots of all evil, and deflect from any criticism of Russia, China, Iran, etc. by attacking the US instead of actually addressing the criticism.
The economic system in China, Russia and Iran is (undemocratic) capitalism.
They see it as being less western, and therefore superior.
Yeah I’m an anarchist. I have friends who are ML. If they were to say, support a theoretical Cuban invasion of Rojava (listen there aren’t many anti capitalist countries in 2023) because Rojava isn’t the right kind of anti capitalist that would be some tankie ass shit.
The Soviets weren’t saying “be communist or be destroyed” the rebels believed in communism they just wanted self rule.
Also tankie usually implies someone supports Russia and China no matter what they do. Often they use the argument of being anti imperialist even when defending imperialist expansion.
What if you agree with the former but also agree with criticism of those regimes?
If you genuinely accept critiques of Iran, China, and Russia as well as disliking the West’s capitalism then you’re just a communist, not a tankie. However if you just kinda accept critiques in a “No one’s perfect” kinda way but still cheer when Russians shoot Ukrainians, you’d be a tankie who fell for Russian propaganda. I’d recommend looking into the firehose of falsehood, it informs a lot about certain righties’ and lefties’ perspectives.
You’re not even necessarily a communist. I don’t call myself a communist, but yeah, there are problems with capitalism, that’s not a weird thing to say.
Anti-authoritarian collectivist/socialists are usually categorized as anarchists. At least that’s what the tankies call me.
I’m fine being called an anarchist but I prefer the term “voluntarist”.
As long as I’m free to opt out of the collectivism I’m happy to live alongside it and encourage others to engage with it if they want.
That’s just regular old black and white thinking. Every time you’ve decided that an “ism” is the root of all the world’s evils you’ve lost the game. Doesn’t matter what it is. The “isms” are never the source of the trouble; that would be humanity itself.
Found the tankie.
I’d add that it can be used less pejoratively as a authoritarian Communist.