Where are all the sane people?

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I feel like everywhere I look I'm now surrounded by MAGA fascists and Tankies.

I can't help but feel that this was exactly what the world was like before World War 2 broke out. World War 3 is probably going to happen within our lifetimes.

I'm curious what political spaces you occupy. From where I sit, "tankies" exist only at the very far fringes. Kamala Harris isn't a tankie, and neither are more left-wing Democrats like AOC. Tankies have essentially no presence in mainstream American political discourse, and most Americans have no idea they even exist. Indeed, the fact that the very word "tankie" gets a squiggly line as I write this message is itself an indication how irrelevant they are.

Personally, I can count on one hand the number of IRL tankies I've met.

I wonder how many people who use the word 'tankie' know that it was coined by one group of communists to denigrate another.

Not sure about tankie, but "Marxist" and "leftist" (and also pedo and groomer) are used to describe anyone outside the MAGAverse.

It's McCarthyism on steroids.

I haven't heard the term tankies but this idea that the country is divided between the far right and the far left is just false. The division is between those on the far right and those on the moderate center. The left is nearly nonexistent in the US. There are no leftist politicians, except very very moderate leftists like AOC and Bernie, and even among the public the left is very underrepresented.

Well, yes--that's long been a gambit on the right when attacking mainstream Democrats who are not in any way Marxists or communists. It goes back at least to FDR (hell, even Eisenhower, a moderate Republican, was called a commie by the Birchers in his day), but it's become more virulent in recent years, and used a lot more explicitly by the leaders of the GOP. Earlier Republican nominees like Romney or McCain or the Bushes sometimes insinuated these charges, but they never made it a central or explicit part of their campaigns.

Now, "tankie" is a little different, as it's a much more obscure term than the other examples, and when it is used, it's usually by leftists, and occasionally those on the center-left. And I'm starting to wonder if some center-left people have turned it into a generic slur against progressives like AOC or Bernie Sanders, neither of whom I would describe as tankies. The podcaster Jimmy Dore is one example of someone I might apply the term to (though it's a term I usually try to avoid).

I don't know how the OP would define the term, and I'm curious to hear their perspective.

You are mostly correct. I would say the division is between the populist and nationalist right and the moderate center. I never heard of the word “tankie” and having looked it up see no presence of them in America. As far as the left they have insignificant presence among politicians and mainstream media. Group identity based left does have a significant presence in social media and elite academia and some trendy companies. It’s 2024 so what goes on in social media should not be dismissed. Elite academia generates the future leaders leaders so one should pay attention.

Agreed.

But why is the left, here in the U.S.A., perceived as being so much bigger than it really is?

One reason, it seems to me, is that some aspects of leftist movement culture, or more specifically leftist etiquette (a.k.a. "political correctness" or "wokeness"), have been co-opted by corporate America and elite academia via DEI programs, and a lot of white folks have felt disoriented by this rapid cultural change.

Of course, real leftist politics consists of much more than just the idea that one should ditch traditional Western insults against marginalized minorities.

All I know is that anyone who is not with me... is against me.

I'm not sure that the left as represented on social media is much more than virtue signaling by posting Marxist quotes. Sure, there are some actual leftists on social media. In academia, as well, I don't know that many professors are actual leftists as much as they espouse some fairly moderate leftist ideas. I'm a leftist myself so if there were leftist professors and leftists advocating for a socialist society on social media I would be all for it, and I agree that it does exist to some degree, but it's much milder than it is usually represented to be.

I don't believe I've ever heard it used in that manner. Pretty consistently it gets used to describe people who espouse NATO bad, Russia good, usually by people who downplay Soviet, Chinese and/or North Korean atrocities but who won't hesitate to point out western misdeeds.

For what it's worth, some tankies are within the MAGAverse, like Jackson Hinkle.

That guy seems REALLY mixed up.

But he seems to be part of a tradition of odd extreme left-right hybrids, similar to the Larouchies.

I’m gonna go against the grain a bit here and say that I think you’re on to something.

The issue I think is that there are way too many people who are terminally online. These people spend so much time online that they start acting out IRL.

Thankfully the worst offenders make themselves REALLY obvious. They love wearing their politics on their sleeve- they’ll have multiple flags on their house, or one on their car. Lots of Bumper stickers. They’re easy to ignore.

But the majority are not like that. They’re quiet. Stealth. Until they open their mouth.

You ask them if they want something from Wendy’s and they start talking about politics or culture war nonsense. Ask them about their hobbies - they have none. Ask them about their favorite TV shows or movies- it’s whatever their culture war pushers tell them to like. Ask them what they do for work and they’ll describe their customers and how “political” they are instead of telling you what they actually do, or how their job is being “threatened” by one thing or another. Etc etc etc

Internet brainrot has been festering for a long time now and I’m of the opinion that it’s basically endemic at this point.

It honestly makes me never want to talk to people. Polite conversation is dead and attempting it almost always results in brainrot or culture war nonsense anymore.

Thankfully there is still one more tool that we all have that can help resolve all of this:

Walk away.

Just walk away. When someone uses the word “woke” IRL (ughhhhhhh), walk away. Same with the other culture war terms. Drop the convo and walk away.

If we all collectively did that, then this problem would be limited to the internet where it belongs rather than leaking outside and causing real problems.



Nah that’s just more rhetoric from the culture war people. In reality there’s lots of incentive for rhetoric but zero incentive for anything to actually happen.

Edit - spelling

Yes ^. There is some truth to what he is saying. At least on the Net it seems to be true ...on certain issues.

Everyone is either knee jerk pro Israel, or knee-jerk anti Israel. Either way they have ready made opinions and dont have to think. Only a few of us still dont know who to root for and actually have to THINK about the issue.

Someone suggested that the nation was divided between a cult of personality for Trump and a cult of personality against Trump. But both are inspired by Trump so the fault is Trump's for being a polarizing figure. But the fact that we have a polarizing demagogue like Trump is a symptom of a seismic shift thats needed in society and in politics. Hope we get through the crises with equitable results...without too much bloodshed.