Same, never experinced problems with misusage of the term (in real life).
When i mentioned this in another thread, someone chimed in and stayed they were experiencing it constantly for no reason and also leftist around him would be called that. Later that discussion it was revealed that he thinks everyone who doesn't agree with Stalins policy is not (true) left....
I hear waaaaayyy more complaining about the term tankie from actual tankies than I hear people using it as a general slur against left people.