I've talked about it here and there for years, but this is my actual attempt to talk, definitively, about Tankies. -- --Become one of my first Patrons: https...
For lazy people here is a short summary of this video from YouTube’s summarize option:
This video by Politically Depressed provides a critical analysis of the term “tankie” and the political phenomenon of “campism,” viewed through the lens of a leftist activist from the Global South. The author shares their own personal journey, detailing how their perspective evolved from being inspired by Noam Chomsky’s theories to becoming disillusioned with them during the revolutionary events in Lebanon (2019).
Key topics covered in the video:
What is a “tankie”? (09:27 - 19:21): Historically, the term originated after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution was crushed by Soviet tanks. Today, the author defines “tankies” as those who blindly support any regime that opposes the United States, often ignoring the genuine suffering of local populations living under those regimes.
Campism as a better term (19:21 - 31:45): The author argues that “campism”—the idea of splitting the world into two warring camps (imperialist vs. anti-imperialist)—is a more accurate term for this worldview. They criticize the “enemy of my enemy is my friend” logic, noting that it frequently leads to the justification of authoritarian dictatorships.
Is campism harmful? (31:45 - 45:37): The author explains how campism hinders true international solidarity. They critique how Western leftists often ignore the voices of people in the Middle East (specifically Syria, Iran, and Lebanon), attempting to force complex local struggles into a simplistic geopolitical framework.
Towards an “internationalism from below” (45:37 - 57:03): The author calls for moving away from personality cults—specifically referencing the need to “kill your daddies” (the act of breaking away from blind adherence to intellectual authorities like Chomsky)—and instead focusing on building horizontal solidarity among movements and communities worldwide.
Key Takeaway: The author concludes that a genuine fight against imperialism and capitalism requires “internationalism from below”—prioritizing mutual support among people rather than blind loyalty to geopolitical blocs or states.
Key Takeaway: The author concludes that a genuine fight against imperialism and capitalism requires “internationalism from below”—prioritizing mutual support among people rather than blind loyalty to geopolitical blocs or states.
That’s a good place to start. At the same time, I see blind antagonism towards geopolitical blocs and states as an equally large stumbling block. As a case in point, the liberal politicians, pundits, and their hangers-on who insist “Beating Hamas” justifies any amount of violence within Israel’s zone of interest. Or the BlueMAGA types who insist “Russian Disinformation” is behind every critique of their insider candidates. Or the endless appeal to “We have to beat CHINA!” by AI Hawks.
The “I don’t trust you because you don’t hate the people I hate” quickly becomes thought-terminating and internally destructive. The very use of the term “Tankie” as the article describes goes back to fracturing the British Left over an issue they had very little actual control over. And we see this pattern repeated with left-leaning Christians v Atheists, left-leaning environmental groups, and left-leaning civil rights groups.
At some point, you have to recognize that you are living in the here and now, with people in your immediate vicinity who have absolutely no influence over international conflict zones on the other side of the planet. And if your knee-jerk reaction to hearing someone say “Well, Ukraine is full of Nazis, so I don’t see what Russia did wrong” or “Actually, I hope Iran kicks America’s shit in” is “I can’t work with this person, because they’re friendly with state fascists (on the opposite side of the earth)”, you’re never going to manage local organizing much less international organizing.
Political opinions and views only get wilder once you step outside your own city, state, and country.
Little clarification: I am a little too lazy to discuss this theme, so I just dropped an automated summary for other to deal with it. Because of more people would prefer reading a few hundred words instead of watching nearly a hour long video. So have fun without me :)
For lazy people here is a short summary of this video from YouTube’s summarize option:
This video by Politically Depressed provides a critical analysis of the term “tankie” and the political phenomenon of “campism,” viewed through the lens of a leftist activist from the Global South. The author shares their own personal journey, detailing how their perspective evolved from being inspired by Noam Chomsky’s theories to becoming disillusioned with them during the revolutionary events in Lebanon (2019).
Key topics covered in the video:
What is a “tankie”? (09:27 - 19:21): Historically, the term originated after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution was crushed by Soviet tanks. Today, the author defines “tankies” as those who blindly support any regime that opposes the United States, often ignoring the genuine suffering of local populations living under those regimes.
Campism as a better term (19:21 - 31:45): The author argues that “campism”—the idea of splitting the world into two warring camps (imperialist vs. anti-imperialist)—is a more accurate term for this worldview. They criticize the “enemy of my enemy is my friend” logic, noting that it frequently leads to the justification of authoritarian dictatorships.
Is campism harmful? (31:45 - 45:37): The author explains how campism hinders true international solidarity. They critique how Western leftists often ignore the voices of people in the Middle East (specifically Syria, Iran, and Lebanon), attempting to force complex local struggles into a simplistic geopolitical framework.
Towards an “internationalism from below” (45:37 - 57:03): The author calls for moving away from personality cults—specifically referencing the need to “kill your daddies” (the act of breaking away from blind adherence to intellectual authorities like Chomsky)—and instead focusing on building horizontal solidarity among movements and communities worldwide.
Key Takeaway: The author concludes that a genuine fight against imperialism and capitalism requires “internationalism from below”—prioritizing mutual support among people rather than blind loyalty to geopolitical blocs or states.
That’s a good place to start. At the same time, I see blind antagonism towards geopolitical blocs and states as an equally large stumbling block. As a case in point, the liberal politicians, pundits, and their hangers-on who insist “Beating Hamas” justifies any amount of violence within Israel’s zone of interest. Or the BlueMAGA types who insist “Russian Disinformation” is behind every critique of their insider candidates. Or the endless appeal to “We have to beat CHINA!” by AI Hawks.
The “I don’t trust you because you don’t hate the people I hate” quickly becomes thought-terminating and internally destructive. The very use of the term “Tankie” as the article describes goes back to fracturing the British Left over an issue they had very little actual control over. And we see this pattern repeated with left-leaning Christians v Atheists, left-leaning environmental groups, and left-leaning civil rights groups.
At some point, you have to recognize that you are living in the here and now, with people in your immediate vicinity who have absolutely no influence over international conflict zones on the other side of the planet. And if your knee-jerk reaction to hearing someone say “Well, Ukraine is full of Nazis, so I don’t see what Russia did wrong” or “Actually, I hope Iran kicks America’s shit in” is “I can’t work with this person, because they’re friendly with state fascists (on the opposite side of the earth)”, you’re never going to manage local organizing much less international organizing.
Political opinions and views only get wilder once you step outside your own city, state, and country.
Little clarification: I am a little too lazy to discuss this theme, so I just dropped an automated summary for other to deal with it. Because of more people would prefer reading a few hundred words instead of watching nearly a hour long video. So have fun without me :)
And I appreciate the summary!