# Roger Waters is a tankie **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 7, 2022, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234 "2022-08-07T05:05:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/1 "2022-08-07T05:05:41Z")
At least, that’s the impression one gets from his interview with CNN today, in which he claims, among other things, that Russia is only invading Ukraine to defend itself from NATO aggression, that Joe Biden is a war criminal for not encouraging Zelensky to capitulate, and that the US deserves no credit for winning WWII because the Soviets had already won the war by the time they joined, and the US would do the same thing Russia is doing if Russia put missiles on our borders. (Gee, I coulda sworn there was [some precedent for what we’d do in that case](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Missile_Crisis) that didn’t involve invasion and genocide.) > **[Roger Waters Defends China And Russia On CNN](https://www.stereogum.com/2195483/roger-waters-tells-cnn-why-biden-is-a-war-criminal-says-host-needs-to-read-more/news/)** > > Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters is currently on his This Is Not A Drill tour, which CNN recently covered in a segment with anchor Michael Smerconish. During Smerconish’s interview with Waters, the host questioned the overtly political elements of... I gotta say, I’m getting pretty tired of my favorite classic rock legends turning into mush-brained boomers. I certainly didn’t expect someone so anti-war, anti-authoritarianism, and anti-fascism as the guy who wrote The Wall to decide “actually Russia and Putin are just A-OK in my book”. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/2 "2022-08-07T05:44:57Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I gotta say, I’m getting pretty tired of my favorite classic rock legends turning into mush-brained boomers. Yeah, the list of musicians I should probably now be boycotting is getting depressingly long. I wonder how Roger Waters felt about this recent video released on the Pink Floyd official channel: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/saEpkcVi1d4/maxresdefault.jpg "Pink Floyd - Hey Hey Rise Up (feat. Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saEpkcVi1d4) ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/3 "2022-08-07T06:06:31Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I gotta say, I’m getting pretty tired of my favorite classic rock legends turning into mush-brained boomers. I certainly didn’t expect someone so anti-war, anti-authoritarianism, and anti-fascism as the guy who wrote The Wall to decide “actually Russia and Putin are just A-OK in my book”. Well, even though I’ve enjoyed his music, I’ve never really thought of Roger as a deep thinker on matters of geopolitical importance. Really, I can think of very few rock stars (or anyone else in the entertainment industry) who I would consider even near being a reliable source of opinions on such matters. It’s not really what they studied to be an expert on, and I personally am bewildered by anyone thinking they have worthwhile things to say on such matters. So, in general: if they agree with me, meh. I might get a good song out of it. If they disagree, meh. I still might get a good song out of it. I mean, even if one can write a good song on a subject, it doesn’t mean that you can coherently express those same ideas in a conversation or that when you flesh out the ideas that make a good song they won’t amount to the ramblings of an idiot with no useful purpose in real life. They might be able to hold up their end of the conversation, but they’re different skills. If a painter could just write a text message and communicate the same idea they could in a painting, they’d start off writing the message. They might also later do the painting, but most messages take far less time and effort than most paintings. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/4 "2022-08-07T06:07:20Z")
Two friends of mine went to see him in Tennessee and more recently here in Milwaukee. They said he droned on and on about political stuff including a lot about Reagan. The man has been dead for almost 20 years and hasn’t been POTUS for over 30. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/5 "2022-08-07T06:10:56Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > They said he droned on and on about political stuff including a lot about Reagan. The man has been dead for almost 20 years and hasn’t been POTUS for over 30. Yeesh. At least when I saw him live in 2017 his comments about Trump and Afghanistan were topical. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/6 "2022-08-07T06:14:06Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Well, even though I’ve enjoyed his music, I’ve never really thought of Roger as a deep thinker on matters of geopolitical importance. Really, I can think of very few rock stars (or anyone else in the entertainment industry) who I would consider even near being a reliable source of opinions on such matters. Well, I would’ve considered Waters one up until now. I guess that just leaves us with Tom Morello and Henry Rollins. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/7 "2022-08-07T06:30:53Z")
Even though they’re smart fellers, I’ve had my moments where I’ve been disappointed in both. More Tom than Henry, but none of us bat 1000. Heck, the people who actually study governing a people and international relations are lucky to bat 300, metaphorically. Do I want them commenting on how their society is run? Absolutely! Do I think it provides value, and I need to consider them? Sure, but I’m not going to follow them without thought. Do I think they need to be given power so they can implement their ideas in policy? Nah, not really. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/8 "2022-08-07T07:26:49Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Do I think they need to be given power so they can implement their ideas in policy? Nah, not really. I mean, Henry Rollins would probably tell you himself he’s the last person who should be given any kind of authority. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/9 "2022-08-07T07:40:07Z")
Very true. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/10 "2022-08-07T08:10:59Z")
No reason to imagine that any artist will be a great or well-rounded human being. I mean, come on, anyone paying attention to his lyrics will always have known he is a very damaged and angry person. Great, great music though. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/11 "2022-08-07T09:41:03Z")
Neil Young still seems pretty cool. He’s an environmentalist, an advocate for small farmers, and started a school for children with severe physical and verbal impairments. He also tried to boycott Spotify for carrying Joe Rogan and his antivax misinformation. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/12 "2022-08-07T11:50:24Z")
I LOVE Pink Floyd so much! This disheartens me, because I fear GOP candidates will use Floyd songs for campaign themes. (Waiting for the Worms comes to mind…) But fuck him. Great music or not, he’s a multi-millionaire drug addict who gained fortune on the lifestyle. Celebrities and politics NEVER mix. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/13 "2022-08-07T12:13:08Z")
I have literally never heard the term tankie before. I guess it’s a pejorative label for Communists? This doesn’t seem as hypocritical as Eric Clapton not wanting to inject who knows what into his veins, and was therefore anti-COVID-vaccination. All I know is I can play the bass line to The Wall (Part 2) and Money, so Roger will always have given me that. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/14 "2022-08-07T12:22:35Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I have literally never heard the term tankie before. I guess it’s a pejorative label for Communists? Specifically, it’s a label for left-wing apologists for authoritarian regimes, originally referring to British Communists who supported the Soviet use of force to quash liberal movements in Hungary and Czechslovakia. > **[Tankie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tankie)** > > Tankie is a pejorative label generally applied to communists who express support for one-party communist regimes that are associated with Marxism–Leninism, whether contemporary or historical. It is commonly used by anti-authoritarian leftists, including anarchists, libertarian socialists, left communists, democratic socialists, and reformists to criticise Leninism, although the term has seen increasing use by liberals and right‐wing factions as well. > The term "tankie" was originally used by... > **[Stalin apologetics](https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Stalin_apologetics#Tankies)** > > Stalin apologetics are actually a thing. Some Western communists deny that Joseph Stalin was the murderous dictator he is extensively documented\[2\] as having been. It’s a fitting epithet for a guy who seems to think Stalin and Putin were/are the good guys and Roosevelt, Biden, and Zelensky weren’t/aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/15 "2022-08-07T12:24:10Z")
Seems pretty apt. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/16 "2022-08-07T12:33:16Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I gotta say, I’m getting pretty tired of my favorite classic rock legends turning into mush-brained boomers. I certainly didn’t expect someone so anti-war, anti-authoritarianism, and anti-fascism as the guy who wrote The Wall to decide “actually Russia and Putin are just A-OK in my book”. I saw Ian Anderson perform the long awaited sequel to _Thick as a Brick_ and during the intermission they did a little stage play underlining the importance of having your prostate exam. There’s a guy who knows his demographic. Great show, no politics, and some sound medical advice. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/17 "2022-08-07T12:54:18Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > I saw Ian Anderson perform the long awaited sequel to _Thick as a Brick_ and during the intermission they did a little stage play underlining the importance of having your prostate exam. There’s a guy who knows his demographic. Great show, no politics, and some sound medical advice. It would have even been musically apt had he instead been performing the Passion Play album and inserted this play instead of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/18 "2022-08-07T13:00:48Z")
The anti-establishment hippie thing hasn’t been fashionable since 1969, and the US quagmire in Vietnam gave it some validity, but that’s been over since 1973. I guess Roger didn’t get the memo. He seems to have been on anti-establishment autopilot for the past half century. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/19 "2022-08-07T13:41:37Z")
I always turn to old rock stars to hone my world view. Can’t think of anyone better to turn to. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2022, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234/20 "2022-08-07T13:54:13Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > …he’s a multi-millionaire drug addict… Yeah, OK. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-waters-is-a-tankie/969234.md?page=2)