Post: #1

It is a famous photograph:



But the guy did not get run over by the tanks.





Yet - I think there is a common misconception that he did. Am I correct in thinking that alot of people mistakenly believe he was run over?

Be honest - did any of you think he had being? I'm just curious that such a famous image can be so misrepresented.

Anyway - here is an excellent documentary about 'Tank Man'.





And if I can find it - I will post up the Chinese news footage which has an interesting take on the 'Tank Man' image. I saw it on YouTube once - but can't find it just now. The spin that the Chinese put on the confrontation between the man and the row of tanks - was that it showed how compassionate the army were in allowing the man to live. Instead of running him over. It is interesting to see such an image interpreted in different ways.

Anyway - the whole story of the massacre is interesting since it links directly to the events following the fall of the Berlin wall.

One of the things I find most interesting about the protests was the statue that was built by art students who were in the crowd. It was built in less than 4 days and was made out of papier mache, and stared directly at the giant portrait of Chairman Mao. I have never seen such dramatic symbolism used by a group of protestors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goddess_of_Democracy

Post: #2

wow, interesting stuff. I wonder what he had in his bags. Groceries?

Post: #3

Yep, there were other people who got ran over by tanks just before that happened, if I remember reading about it correctly. So the Chinese soldiers most likely only stopped because of the outrage it had caused.

What balls on that guy though. Especially considering some other people had already gone down that way.

Didn't he disappear after they drug him away too?

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #4

Nobody knows for sure what happened to the guy (according the documentary I linked to). But - I think he was okay. Just got dragged back in to the crowds with everyone else. But nobody knows for sure.

Recently - an old photograph was dug out and examined. And it turned out that Tank Man had accidentally been photographed from ground level and from a new angle never before seen:



Anyway - would be interested in feedback. Do you think it is a common misnomer that the guy was run over by a tank? That is really amazing to me considering it is such a famous photograph.

Post: #5

(06-04-2013 02:14 PM)SexualHarrasmentPanda Wrote:  wow, interesting stuff. I wonder what he had in his bags. Groceries?

Most of the protestors were students. But Tank Man seems to be a guy on his way back from work. Still carrying the groceries he had bought.

Probably just flipped out after a hard day at work.

Post: #6

Zhao Zyiang was General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and had sympathies with the protestors. He tried to negotiate with them and meet their demands.

The rest of the leadership of China didn't agree with his stance and placed him under house arrest for the next 15 years (until he died in 2004 from a stroke).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Ziyang

Post: #7

(06-04-2013 02:26 PM)cardguy Wrote:  

(06-04-2013 02:14 PM)SexualHarrasmentPanda Wrote:  wow, interesting stuff. I wonder what he had in his bags. Groceries?

Most of the protestors were students. But Tank Man seems to be a guy on his way back from work. Still carrying the groceries he had bought.

Probably just flipped out after a hard day at work.

haha yeah. Just imagine what might be going through his mind as he stands against the tank. I'm not sure if I would be able to do that.

Post: #8

This is what happens in China when your bluff is called:

http://www.infowars.com/man-crushed-by-r...officials/

Post: #9

(06-04-2013 02:39 PM)cardguy Wrote:  Zhao Zyiang was General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and had sympathies with the protestors. He tried to negotiate with them and meet their demands.

The rest of the leadership of China didn't agree with his stance and placed him under house arrest for the next 15 years (until he died in 2004 from a stroke).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Ziyang

That reminds me of the practice of sending off kings and princes to monasteries to live off their life. It happened regularly in medieval europe and in south asia.
Even though the political situation in china is bad, it is important to remember that ever nation has the government it deserves.

Post: #10

http://www.infowars.com/man-crushed-by-r...officials/
That's ridiculous. It does, however, seem like the easiest way to avoid people doing that again.

Post: #11

(06-04-2013 02:23 PM)cardguy Wrote:  Nobody knows for sure what happened to the guy (according the documentary I linked to). But - I think he was okay. Just got dragged back in to the crowds with everyone else. But nobody knows for sure.

Recently - an old photograph was dug out and examined. And it turned out that Tank Man had accidentally be photographed from ground level and a new angle never before seen:

Anyway - would be interested in feedback. Do you think it is a common misnomer that the guy was run over by a tank? That is really amazing to me considering it is such a famous photograph.

Yes, I think a lot of people believe that. I'm pretty sure I used to believe it before I did some research on the incident about a year ago. Part of the reason people assume that is that the photo is associated with the "Tianemen Square Massacre." Most people don't know much about history anymore. One of the reasons we're well on our way to repeating a lot of it.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #12

(06-04-2013 02:45 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  Yes, I think a lot of people believe that. I'm pretty sure I used to believe it before I did some research on the incident about a year ago. Part of the reason people assume that is that the photo is associated with the "Tianemen Square Massacre."

Another interesting video I found on the matter.

Post: #13

This is my idea of a protest.

Singing 'Anarchy in the UK' by The Sex Pistols.

On the karaoke.

During a guided tour of North Korea...

Post: #14

A great revolutionary.

This TIME article provides additional detail:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articl...69,00.html

Post: #15

(06-04-2013 02:26 PM)cardguy Wrote:  

(06-04-2013 02:14 PM)SexualHarrasmentPanda Wrote:  wow, interesting stuff. I wonder what he had in his bags. Groceries?

Most of the protestors were students. But Tank Man seems to be a guy on his way back from work. Still carrying the groceries he had bought.

Probably just flipped out after a hard day at work.

Post: #16

I assume he was hustled away by the secret police and never seen again. There are worse things than getting run over by a tank.

FWIW, China's history with popular rebellions is very bad; including the Communist one. I support the crushing of Tiananmen Square.

Post: #17

This guy is amazing. I've been in some shit. I've placed myself in some shit. But I will freely admit that I ain't got the stones to block a tank with my body. Tanks scare the crap out of me. I hate mechanized vehicles, and I always have. I had friends that were Tankers (tank drivers), and they called Grunts "crunchies" because that was the sound we made when they ran us over.

Post: #18

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...igger.html