Tenets of tankie ideology:
- The west is bad, therefore the west’s enemies are automatically good regardless of what they do.
- Benevolent dictatorship is possible, but benevolent democracy is impossible because in a democracy people who disagree with the government also have a say.
- In order for an action to be imperialist, it has to be carried out by a western government.
- Criticism of socialist governments from defectors cannot be trusted because defecting means they oppose their government so they’re biased.
- The best perspective on a political situation comes from the writings of dictators from decades ago. Listening to the people directly affected by that situation today is a reactionary idea.
