• harrys_balzac@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    5 months ago

    “Tankie” started as a general pejorative shorthand for “in the tank.”

    MAGAs are tankies. Evangelicals are tankies. Every extremist is a tankie.

    It’s just we generally only see the communist authoritarian tankies on here.

    • Bertuccio@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      That is such an obviously bullshit etymology that I’m going to accuse you of making it up to intentionally muddy the water.

      • harrys_balzac@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        4 months ago

        I was wrong in that it has been used to describe right wing extremists but it does originate with the idea that these people would happily hop in a tank and crush any dissent. I realize I was very vague

        In my mind, it made sense that anyone willing to use force (eg, a tank) to impose their violent ideology is a tankie.