The horseshoe theory is bullshit not because tankies and nazis don't behave similarly, but because they're not the two logical extremes of the same spectrum. You can be far left without being a tankie by just not being a bootlicker, and you can be far right without being a nazi by (you guessed it) also not being a bootlicker. Even with how many boots you lick the left/right division of the political spectrum is still horribly reductive, but it's super important to split the axis of authoritarianism vs liberalism out of it when addressing tankies, because they have a lot of colloquially left beliefs with the authoritarianism and anti-progressivism commonly associated with the right wing.

[–] Astrealix@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't buy that they have the same beliefs, but it's interesting how the methods have some similarities — the stances definitely have significant enough differences though.

[–] HardlightCereal@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Wow, hold on, you're saying people who want to change society in some way have similar methods? And that these methods are different from people who don't want to change society? Crikey, I'm gonna need you to slow down, these ideas are just too complex, man!

[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

It's in the encyclopedia of political fallacies somewhere between "it isn't corruption if it's legal" and trickle down economics.

[–] JackRiddle@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

*look up "lying about being a socialist/feminist", might explain a few things

[–] Astrealix@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Nah I've met some that genuinely believe the stuff they're saying. Definitely there's a lot of people just bullshitting to create outrage though.