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this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2023
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Can someone please explain the "tankie baggage"?
I understand the words, but not the history.
A "tankie" is a pejorative word for a Stalinist. (Just in case any readers aren't familiar with the word?)
Basically lemmy (the project) was started by some Marxist-Leninists who have a soft spot for the CCP and authoritarian communism (really). Lemmy.ml and lemmygrad.ml actually share the same IP address. And lemmy contributors seem to have lemmygrad accounts.
@feditips, who is a pretty well-respected Fediverse advocate, has recommended against lemmy here and here, with pretty good reasoning.
Having said that, the politics of the authors of the software do not necessarily dictate how you, me, or anyone else choose to run instances.
It's not a pejorative word for any Stalinist. It's a pejorative word for a specific type of Stalinist, ie, one that will back any oppressive regime that espouses itself to be Stalinist.
Via Wikipedia:
The thread from fefitips makes claims without providing any evidence. They say they "have receipts" and can provide on request, but why not simply post it if it actually existed?
I have no dog in this fight - today is the first time I've heard the word "tankie" - but I would take the linked claims with a grain of salt until proof is provided.
Ok, here's some evidence. There's two primary/full-time developers of Lemmy. Here's one's github page of essays.
If you search that tree, he mentions lemmygrad several times, has a crash course on socialism that points you to "asktankies", and his FAQ denies several holocausts, including (for example) Stalin's slaughter of millions of Ukrainians.
Many thanks for the links, that's great to start a dialogue. I didn't see anything particularly terrible in my read through the crash course (I might have missed something). In the FAQ I see a link to What about Stalin? Didn't he kill millions? (Revleft podcast on Stalin), which is an external podcast and I don't plan to listen to it. Is there something specific which the developer wrote which you can link to?
Regardless of whether any particular developer is or isn't a "tankie", Lemmy the software and Lemmy.ml don't appear to support any ideologies. Their Code of Conduct specifically states "We are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of level of experience, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, nationality, or other similar characteristic."