West Chester- A local history buff was left underwhelmed by a recent political meetup. Rich Thompson, 42, of Chester county drove up to Syracuse, NY, last weekend for what was advertised as a meeting for “tankies.”

“It’s hard to find people around Chester that share my passion for the strategies and technology of World War II, so when I saw there was a meeting for tank enthusiasts just a few hours away, I jumped on the opportunity. I thought maybe I could meet some guys and have a few beers- it’s hard to make new pals as an adult, you know?” he said during an interview from his front porch.

“But when I got there…..well I thought I was in the right place because everyone was wearing ushankas (Russian fur caps) and replica USSR memorabilia, but when I tried to make small talk about Soviet military tech, all anyone would talk about was how ‘Trotsky was a blight on their glorious revolution’ and ‘the holodomor was the US’s fault.’”

Thompson went on, “Also they kept calling me ‘comrade’ even though I told them over and over that my name is Rich! I walked around a bit to try to see if maybe some other people knew any history, but for a ‘tankie’ convention they didn’t seem to know much about the tech…I mean they didn’t even know the BT-5? Or even the A-20? These were some damn poor history buffs. At least know the basics before you come out to this sorta thing.”

When informed that the term “tankie” is in fact a slang term that refers to a branch of modern Communism which vigorously defends Stalinism, and not WWII military technology enthusiasts, Thompson was amused: “Wait till my pals at the Tristate Transhumanist Society hear about this one; that oughta get a few laughs at the caucus next month!”