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this post was submitted on 06 Apr 2025
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It has everything to do with power dynamics. The American centrists and moderates maintain the limit of allowed mainstream political discourse as there is no distinction between a liberal and leftist. In fact every attempt is made to maintain them as synonyms.
In America centrists and moderates define themselves as leftist, and they view anything further left of themselves to be something like unchecked authoritarianism.
Thusly the American right-wing gets to successfully operate from the default position of linking leftism to authoritarianism in all discourse and debate.
So most of the American Left is just plain stuck trying to escape this paradigm because the basic terms don't have the same coherency.
Correct me If I understand you wrong.
"Tankie in an american context means everyone who take part in the debate but are left of the left wing in the democratic party?"
If that is correct a lot of memes make more sense. Because tankies were I come from (as the name implies) are normally not inherently against military, but a lot of memes are about tankies being anti war.
You're not wrong but more/also that the term is used rather incoherently in an American context.
Thank you once again. I wont pretend I understand it entirely but a lot of the debate and calling of names makes more sende now. In Europe we define between conservatism, liberalism and socialism. And people often identify by where they are in the mix, if they are into politics
The word 'socialism' is not allowed in American political discourse. That's why we have to call for 'universal healthcare'. We need 'affordable housing' because building new public housing was outlawed two decades ago. We can barely use the term 'worker' and have to approximate with 'working class' or 'working families'.
We can't even use the language of the left in America.
The word 'proletarian' was and is a demeaning term to shame people for being poor. The socialist movement in Europe started to use it as something positive because it meant they werent owners and thus exploiters. Luckily words can be turned around.