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I'm curious what folks here think about tankies.
I remember seeing a twitter thread during the onset of the Ukraine war explaining why Russia and China growing powerful even to the point of imperialism is vital to combat western imperialism, "someone has to do it". Whether one agrees that Russia has been constantly provoked by NATO or not, its difficult to spin Russian actions as "anti-imperialist". Similarly, China's land and water disputes with its neighbours. It appears both these countries have become a sort of canvas to project their ideologies. They often call western conservatives "far right" and often attack their criticisms of feminism. But how do they explain China's own censorship of feminist activism, the fact that independent labour unions are illegal, the push for pro-natalism, the push for masculinity training, etc.? I've seen many articles countering the stories about Uyghurs, but not much on the above. What really makes the "tankie ideology" attractive? I can fully understand and even sympathise with their gripes over western imperialism and even Israel to an extent, but I don't get the narratives that its all the neoliberals and the "far right" against China, essentially projecting the whole issue as a new cold war of ideologies between neoliberalism and communism.
This hilarious Noahopinion essay says that modern Tankies are about 2000 people on Twitter who get more attention than they deserve because they are so good at trolling other prominent left-Twitter factions.
I don't know about the 2000 Twitter trolls theory, but I agree with Noah that the root cause is anti-Americanism taken to the level where the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
I think the same applies to the increasingly numerous "right-Tankies" (such as the one who took over the CPAC twitter account), who see the American government and American-led alliance system as part of the woke enemy. I am not sure what you call right-wingers who express Tankie-like sentiments - Quisling seems unfairly harsh, although this really is the kind of sentiment that enabled people like Quisling and Petain in WW2.
As a white nationalist and traditionalist who is more likely to undermine the ethnic homogeneity of my country and the traditions of my people, the Chinese, Putin or the people at Davos? Why would I feel loyalty to the same people who push critical race theory, want to deconstruct my culture and openly push migrants into my country while having killed millions of people in wars in the middle east? I am not a traitor when I support China since the group I would supposedly be betraying are people who want me banned off the internet, fired from my job and who want to force my future children to go to woke schools. China isn't my friend but I don't see how they or Iran are hostile to me.
As a Christian conservative in mid-20th century Europe, who is more likely to undermine the godliness of my country and the traditions of my people, Hitler, Mussolini, or the local Social Democrats and their friends in Moscow? Why would I feel loyalty to the same people who push secular education and republicanism, want to deconstruct my culture, and openly push rootless cosmopolitanism (and rootless cosmopolitanism) into my country while making nice to the people who killed millions in the Ukrainian genocides? I am not a traitor when I support Hitler since the group I would supposedly be betraying are people who want to behead my King and eject my God from the schools.
Vidkung Quisling is signing off.
I have lived through two constitutions, and my grandfather through three. I don't live in the same country as my grandfather was born in, yet I live in the same city. Institutions come and go, they are nothing but tools to organize a society. If a tool is extremely destructive and no longer serves a purpose, it should be tossed. I am loyal to the people, the nature, the culture and the traditions. Bad leaders and governments have been tossed out plenty of times throughout history. I can feel a strong loyalty to leaders that are good, I see no reason to follow destructive ones because of sentimentalism.
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