this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2026
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I've seen anarchists like Diva get called tankies for not towing the anti-communist line hard enough though, so it seems you've been misinformed.
Idk, maybe you should just use fucking google like an adult and understand that it is aimed at auth communists and that people using it to target nonauth communists is such an incredibly small number that it's not even worth noting. The experience you are describing is within a vacuum of leftist infighting where liberals sometimes poke their head in to chime in with stupid fuck opinions. Obviously some stupid liberal fuck is going to see the criticism a genuine leftist levied at a genuine auth communist and not understand what the insult means.
Wow why do you feel the need to be so aggressive. I'm simply pointing out that no matter what Google tells you in reality it's simply used as a slur leftists who don't tow the anti-communist line right. If you don't tow the anti-communist line just right it doesn't matter what you are you will be called a tankie.
I feel the need to get aggressive because I don't need to hear this drivel you're pushing. A slur bro? Everything is a slur now? Grow the fuck up.
slur /slûr/
transitive verb
Synonym of Pejorative
To talk about disparagingly or insultingly. adjective
Disparaging; belittling.
Implying or imputing evil; depreciatory; disparaging; unfavorable.
It's a slur, or a pejorative, whichever you prefer to use. You should learn what words mean. English isn't even my first or second language yet I managed to do it before speaking on it.
English isn't prescriptivist, it's descriptivist. I'm sorry for assuming English was your first language.
A slur is like a more advanced pejorative that you shouldn't say, usually because it targets people who can't change whatever trait is being targetted. Tankie isn't a slur, because I'm allowed to call you a tankie all day. Hope that helped!
Ok so everything else I said stands just put pejorative in place for slur.
I still disagree with you, there's definitely some misfires and people misusing the term, but the majority of people who use the word know that it's a pejorative for exclusively authoritarian communists, usually specifically those who would look the other way when their "socialist" government commits atrocities.
Yes in theory, but unless you are a diviner or mind reader identifying who is and isn't especially is short online debate is far from a science.
For example if you point out there is no Uyghur genocide even if you perform the 1000 prostrations, and explain the reality of the abuses how it was still terrible and inexcusable it doesn't matter what your wider beliefs are you will be called a tankie.
Which is exactly my point it is at its core a pejorative specifically to put down those who do not tow the anti-communist line just right by equating them with the straw man of some hyper evil pro genocide caricature.