this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2025
156 points (97.0% liked)

The Democratic People's™ Republic of Tankiejerk

724 readers
51 users here now

Dunking on Tankies from a leftist, anti-capitalist perspective.

Rules:

  1. Be civil and no bigotry of any kind.
  2. No tankies or right-wingers. Liberals are allowed so long as they are aware of this
  3. No genocide denial

We allow posts about tankie behavior even off fedi, shitposts, and rational, leftist discussion. For a more general community [email protected] is recommended.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 29 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] cm0002 64 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's not like they've done any imperialist-like actions like attack a country unprovoked or anything LMAO

[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] spankmonkey 20 points 3 days ago

"War of western aggression."

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Argh. That Chinese guy at the MSC gave me a headache about that one. Paraphrasing: "China does consider the Russian invasion a result of NATO expansion: The Russians think that you're stepping on their toes, they think in influence spheres, and neither we nor you can change their mind about that".

More or less "you bumped into a stupid drunk, now they're hitting you, what did you expect, the drunk to not be stupid?"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

Equally though if the drunk was walking around trying to start a fight then it's fairly expected and your actions kind of did start the fight, even though it's absolutely the drunk who's in the wrong

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Ooh! Word play! Lemme try!

America didn't torture it's detainees in the "war" on terror; we used Enhanced Interrogation^TM^! Now with less calories!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Enhanced interrogation techniques in the "police action" in the middle east because we had "proof" they had "WMDs" no less. It definitely "wasn't" a war based on lies for oil...

[–] PugJesus 2 points 2 days ago

It definitely “wasn’t” a war based on lies for oil…

I mean, it was definitely a war based on lies, but not for oil.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Obviously not! That's why we changed it from Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) to Operation Iraqi Freedumb!

[–] [email protected] 45 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yeah they're not imperialist, the "People's Republics" that keep popping up in different places and then get attacked by Russia to "protect them" are totally organic.

Honestly this person has to be American. You hear so much less of this bullshit in Europe (although definitely not nonzero amounts… we have more than our share of idiots and fascists too, unfortunately), especially anywhere near Russia. "Russia isn't imperialist" sounds so much dumber when their imperialism is happening right next door.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 days ago

Russian propaganda targeting EU has to be more sophisticated since EU residents know Russian history better.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] NOT_RICK 26 points 3 days ago

But they were invited! You see, when African autocrats invite Wagner to strip mine their nations it’s their right as sovereign states. Don’t confuse this for support of European states using their right to self determination to associate with NATO, however. That’s clearly imperialism, because reasons.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Words don't mean anything anymore. We live in a post-reality world.

[–] grue 12 points 3 days ago

No, fuck that. Objective reality exists and those who claim things contrary to it are fucking liars.

[–] needthosepylons 2 points 3 days ago

Note that the person actually didn't define imperialism!

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 days ago

DeFenSivE mILitArY AcTiONs

[–] mlg 13 points 3 days ago

I mean... they wasted so many resources in Ukraine that they had to pull out of their imperialist schemes like in Syria which collapsed in a matter of weeks lol. Could go with flailing imperialist.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 days ago (1 children)

What does 🔺🔻 emoji mean?

I’d say about 50% of people I see with that emoji in their profile are tankies, while the other 50% are old school anti-authoritarian marxists.

[–] PugJesus 10 points 3 days ago (2 children)

It's a sign used by Hamas to mark military targets; some online use it as an expression of solidarity with Hamas.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Of fuck really. I thought it was some sort of socialist symbol. That’s awful.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago (2 children)

i don't know the modern discourse. i thought it's (pointing down) the symbol the nazis used to mark political prisoners (i. e. usually communists) in concentration camps, like the pink triangle for who they deemed to be "homosexuals".

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

Marxists and unionists

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

Honestly I think that makes more sense. Because I’ve seen some people with that emoji in their profile who have decently nuanced takes, I doubt they would outright support a far-right war crime committing organisation such as hamas.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago

Wasn't that the mark of Saddam's republican guard?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Guard_(Iraq)

I guess it is a simple symbol

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

It's fun with this rhetoric, 'cause if you replace imperialism by capitalism, and country name with corporation name, we immediately see how confuse it is. "You can't say Shell is capitalist, it's not the global leader in the Petrolum Market. BT is"

We are talking about system. The Federation of Russia engaged in a competition against NATO, which result in wars and economic predation for power and ressources.

The same logic apply for Iran and China, but not on the same scale. A state is structured with the current international relationship; it need to gather power to secure its existence. Exactly like a corporation. North Korea is weak example of imperialism, not because it would be "socialist", but because it is losing the competition against other states.

That's why strong workers organisations where independent from states and political parties. And that's why we may mobilize first and mainly (but not only) against our one State imperialism, in order to not feeding this international competition.

And if you think that's their is no colonial history in Russia, you may think again. The Eastern conquest had some similarity with the western one in the USA.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

i've read a book once that was just an introductory overview on what theories of imperialism are out there. why don't other ppl try to read a book once?

[–] whotookkarl 6 points 3 days ago

Because it's much easier to not read any books, tell anyone who recommends reading 'don't tell me what to do', and then adopt all of the opinions of a demagogue who sounds smart to uneducated people and uses lies and misinformation to reinforce confirmation biases

[–] needthosepylons 1 points 3 days ago

Weird flex but ok