KBin has taken over Lemmy in monthly active users count

rysiek@szmer.info to Technology@beehaw.org – 28 points –

Looks like KBin has an edge over Lemmy now in terms of monthly active users.

It's obviously a pretty silly thing, and is not in any way indicative of which project is "better" or more "long-term viable" or anything — instances of both federate with one another, and with the rest of fedi, so it's all one happy family.

That said, it's notable. KBin is a relative newcomer to the "Reddit-like fedi instance" game, and also does not have the tankie baggage.

Anyway, the more, the merrier!

KBin: https://the-federation.info/platform/184

Lemmy: https://the-federation.info/platform/73

Discussion on fedi: https://mstdn.social/@rysiek/110527049024028986

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A "tankie" is a pejorative word for a Stalinist. (Just in case any readers aren't familiar with the word?)

Basically lemmy (the project) was started by some Marxist-Leninists who have a soft spot for the CCP and authoritarian communism (really). Lemmy.ml and lemmygrad.ml actually share the same IP address. And lemmy contributors seem to have lemmygrad accounts.

@feditips, who is a pretty well-respected Fediverse advocate, has recommended against lemmy here and here, with pretty good reasoning.

Having said that, the politics of the authors of the software do not necessarily dictate how you, me, or anyone else choose to run instances.

It's not a pejorative word for any Stalinist. It's a pejorative word for a specific type of Stalinist, ie, one that will back any oppressive regime that espouses itself to be Stalinist.

Via Wikipedia:

Tankie is a pejorative label for communists, particularly Stalinists, who support the authoritarian tendencies of Marxism–Leninism or, more generally, authoritarian states associated with Marxism–Leninism in history. The term was originally used by dissident Marxist–Leninists to describe members of the Communist Party of Great Britain who followed the party line of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Specifically, it was used to distinguish party members who spoke out in defense of the Soviet use of tanks to crush the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the 1968 Prague Spring uprising, or who more broadly adhered to pro-Soviet positions. The term is also used to describe people who endorse, defend, or deny the crimes committed by communist leaders such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, and Kim il-Sung.

The thread from fefitips makes claims without providing any evidence. They say they "have receipts" and can provide on request, but why not simply post it if it actually existed?

I have no dog in this fight - today is the first time I've heard the word "tankie" - but I would take the linked claims with a grain of salt until proof is provided.

Ok, here's some evidence. There's two primary/full-time developers of Lemmy. Here's one's github page of essays.

If you search that tree, he mentions lemmygrad several times, has a crash course on socialism that points you to "asktankies", and his FAQ denies several holocausts, including (for example) Stalin's slaughter of millions of Ukrainians.

Many thanks for the links, that's great to start a dialogue. I didn't see anything particularly terrible in my read through the crash course (I might have missed something). In the FAQ I see a link to What about Stalin? Didn't he kill millions? (Revleft podcast on Stalin), which is an external podcast and I don't plan to listen to it to find out what it contains. Is there something specific which the developer wrote which you can link to?

Regardless of whether any particular developer is or isn't a "tankie", Lemmy the software and Lemmy.ml don't appear to support any ideologies. Their Code of Conduct specifically states "We are committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of level of experience, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, personal appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, age, religion, nationality, or other similar characteristic."

Please don't think I am merely arguing or playing devil's advocate. I have only just started using Lemmy and would prefer to not waste my time on a platform that ultimately I wouldn't like to be associated with, but so far it feels a bit overblown.

Regarding lemmy.ml as an instance: Dig further into it. They do have a certain ideology.

At any rate, you asked what evidence there is that the devs are tankies. I would simply point out that they describe themselves using exactly that word. And even the official docs are laden with political commentary. Regardless of what you think of their politics, or how much politics is "too much" or outside of your overton window, I don't think it should be controversial to call them tankies.

Thanks for the links, I will go exploring. And for the record I don't think it's controversial to call someone a tankie - as stated today is the first time I've heard the word.