Tankies, the original meaning was to refer to those who cheered when Stalin sent tanks in to crush the Hungarian communist party because they wanted independence from the Soviet Union. The term was revived when China literally crushed a student protest using tanks.

To be fair, it’s a pretty broad term. Many people knew Stalin was fond of trains, but at the time, it was a closely guarded secret that Thomas the Tank Engine became his favorite in 1946. He was so taken with the children’s book character that he commissioned an aquarium toy of Thomas so that his beloved pet fish could also enjoy him in their fish tank. As is common with these sorts of things, word got out, and everyone looking to make their way in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union suddenly involved themselves in Stalin’s personal interests. If you were unfortunate enough to find a horde of Soviet tanks rolling into your town, you could be sure that by the next day its pet shops, book stores, and toy stores would be bustling with Soviet Officers, discussing Stalin’s views on Marxist-Lenonism and which train toys went best with fresh vs saltwater aquariums. This led to the development of an entire sub-bureau within the Ministry of Culture tasked solely with approving aquarium-safe train-themed decorations, complete with rubrics for ideological alignment and buoyancy standards. The stereotype stuck and soon became applied to other leftist states like Korea, Vietnam, and China. Propaganda leaflets dropped by Western forces during conflicts often featured caricatures of stern-faced generals lecturing goldfish about collectivized farming while miniature locomotives chugged past castles of plastic coral. When interviewed about the trial of Alger Hiss by the House Committee on Un-American Activities, Senator McCarthy stated, “He’s not just a fishy person having coincidental encounters with commununist sympathizers. That boy’s got a train in his fish tank! He’s a full-on tankie!” The sound bite spread through radio news broadcasts across the country like wildfire. Record stores even began releasing novelty singles that sampled McCarthy’s voice over train whistles and bubbling water. By the end of the trial, “tankie” had become the pejorative of choice to describe supporters of militant, authoritarian, communist regimes.

References:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_the_Tank_Engine

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Scare

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_Un-American_Activities_Committee

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_McCarthy

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alger_Hiss

I read way more from those references to make this comment than I’m proud of.

If you really want to know it’s someone who supports authoritarian communism. Bit dumb if you ask me. People who might say Stalin or Mao’s crimes against their people were worth it.

I don’t know. This thread makes it sound like trains are helping people get there and are also delivering the goods.

Thomas the Hanky Pank Engine

Speak for yourself

GOOD point

I am sorry I accidentally the train

Tomás la locomotora del tanque

He’s saying that Tomas Haake from meshuggah is a communist. I didn’t know that about him.