this post was submitted on 30 Dec 2025
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Anarchism

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After seeing a megathread praising Mao Zedong, an actual mass killer, and a post about a guy saying "99% of westerners are 100000000000% sure they know what happened in 'Tiny Man Square' [...] the reasons for this are complex and involve propaganda [...]," I am genuinely curious what leads people to this belief system. Even if propaganda is involved when it comes to Tiananmen Square, it doesn't change the atrocities that were/are committed everywhere else in China.

I am all for letting people believe what they want but I am lost on why one would deliberately praise any authoritarian system this hard.

Can someone please help me understand why this is such a large and prominent community? How have these ideals garnered such a following outside of China?

EDIT: Thank you to everyone who has responded! This thread has been very insightful :)

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[–] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Clean water you say...

It's also quite telling that your answer became a "communism vs anarchism" out of nowhere.

The teams and labels are a fucking cancer of human society...

[–] robotElder2@hexbear.net 49 points 2 days ago (2 children)

What is meant by "tankie" if not ML communist? And what other ideology would OP, who posted this from anarchist nexus to an anarchism community, propose i hold instead if not anarchism?

[–] stinky@anarchist.nexus 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I don't propose you hold any ideology, I'm just curious as to why people choose this one

[–] robotElder2@hexbear.net 32 points 2 days ago

Because I see no other credible way to stop capital from devouring the world.

[–] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 2 days ago (3 children)

The topic isn't a comparison between the two and the fact you needed to bring it up is pretty funny.

[–] LENINSGHOSTFACEKILLA@hexbear.net 41 points 2 days ago (1 children)

anarchist comm deriding "tankies" but totally no comparison or debate here, fellas, no-sireeee

[–] Rom@hexbear.net 42 points 2 days ago (1 children)

It's an anarchist complaining about "tankies" and parroting NATO propaganda, it is absolutely a comparison between the two.

[–] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com -5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

And what does your side parrot?

[–] Amnesigenic@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 day ago (2 children)

That's what capitalists parrot as well, weird.

[–] LENINSGHOSTFACEKILLA@hexbear.net 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

you really think you did something there, huh?

[–] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I have an antiburn cream if you need it.

yeah, you gotta carry that around huh?

[–] Amnesigenic@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

Broken clocks lol, get busy

[–] robotElder2@hexbear.net 43 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Of course there is implied comparison. If one doesn't "fall into the tankie mindset" they must necessarily believe in something else. And if nothing else is equal to the task before us, which I assert to be the case, one must be either a tankie or resigned to extinction. I presumed based on OPs choice of instance and comm that the something else they believe and implicitly compare to "tankieism" is anarchism. OP asked why someone would be a tankie and I told them why I am a tankie rather than what they seem to be.

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The teams and labels are a fucking cancer of human society…

I can't stand people who treat everything like team sports, especially those who treat POLITICS like team sports and vilify absolutely everyone who doesn't root for their guy coughMAGAcough

[–] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 8 points 1 day ago

Has there ever been a revolution in history that was fought without its combatants falling into one of at least 2 separate forces?

[–] robotElder2@hexbear.net 33 points 2 days ago

My approach to politics is "like team sports" only in that I acknowledge the existence of teams and have chosen one. Do you really think we're all on the same side? When liberals insist that we all want what's best for everyone, that there are no conflicting interests only conflicting methods, do you believe them?