XPost: alt.usage.english, alt.usage.english, alt.politics.radical-left   
   From: snidely.too@gmail.com   
      
   on 1/14/2026, Steve Hayes supposed :   
   > Tankie & campist -- English usage   
   >   
   > A friend used some terms on Facebook that I was not familiar with, so   
   > I asked him to explain them, and thought his explanation might be of   
   > interest to others.   
   >   
   > Matt Cooper   
   > Stephen Hayes: actually, from an etymological perspective, it's kind   
   > of a fascinating term.   
   >   
   > Originally, 'tankie' was a term used in British left circles to   
   > describe specifically members of Marxist-Leninist parties who   
   > supported the Soviet crackdowns on Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia   
   > in 1968, where tanks were used to 'restore order' in both countries.   
   > The term fell into disuse but was later revived in socialist circles   
   > in the West to just refer to Marxist-Leninists in general, or to   
   > supposedly 'authoritarian' leftists who show support to AES states   
   > like China or Vietnam or Cuba.   
   >   
   > Nowadays, especially in Democratic Socialists of America-type circles,   
   > the people who hurl it around are generally fairly indiscriminate.   
   > Anyone who is critical of US foreign policy can be called a 'tankie'.   
   > This broader use of 'tankie' is particularly obscene when it is   
   > applied to critics of Israel, which... invaded Gaza with tanks.   
   >   
   > 'Campism' is a newer intra-leftist slur. It's also a term of abuse   
   > that overlaps with 'tankie': I've never seen anyone call themselves a   
   > 'campist'. (I think that might have originated in the DSA itself but I   
   > can't be sure.) But the overall thrust of it is that a supposed   
   > 'campist' is someone who falls into tribalistic, us-versus-them   
   > thinking and uncritically supports countries that don't deserve it.   
   > ------------   
   >   
   > Comments?   
   >   
   > Does anyone disagree with this explanation of these terms, or have a   
   > better one?   
      
   [Replying to AUE]   
      
   Not I.  I guess I don't spend enough time on FB, and have never heard   
   or seen these terms before.   
      
   And I think "DSA" is inappropriate renaming, because "Democratic" has   
   only been used (TTBOMYK) in a country's appellation if it is organized   
   by a Communist regime.  I'd suggest RSA (Republican States of America,   
   both senses of "Republican"), TRSA, or REA.   
      
   /dps "or maybe UST"   
      
   --   
   Ieri, oggi, domani   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)