This is a photo taken of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. A group of college students were protesting China’s communist government. I love this picture. I have the poster in my dorm. Everytime i see it I ask myself, “what sort of dedication and belief would cause this sort of action?”
What are things that you would stand up for?
What are some things that you would stand in front of oncoming tanks for?
What is God calling you to be bold about?
What would god do to Mao in the afterlife?
will there be a pineapple reversed for him???
Thoughts, people
ps i am adam from naples
wow is he about to be run over?
Wait a min there are still people unaware of tiananmen square? and Mark I totally agree that crown would have been rolled over…
Brave soul. He believes that people should do what they see as right. Not what the government bastards say is…
What would have happened if it was a crowd of people there instead of one person?
Any idea how morally torn the guy in that tank must have been?
*shakes head no*
Imagine if this happened in America (would never happen nowadays because of the power that the people have towards controlling the government) and how a disaster this would become, rioting all over america. In Los Angeles, NYC, WASHINGTON D.C. (A definite riot breaking into the white house), San Fransisco, Boston, etc. This just proves that communism is something that is impossible to obtain in today’s world.
People have no control over the US government. Big business has all the control over the government and that is why our society is in shambles today.
There are still prostests and demonstrations all over the states about 9/11, new orleans and many other injustices your governmet has done. Most Americans get there news from tv, which is different in each state, and thats how they keep you divided. You well never be a complete and uniformed country without independent and alternative news stations. The only power people have over the gorvernment is the power the government allows. Communism….Capitalism…….thats a fine line.
The country is to big for one man to make all the major decisions, same goes for Canada. The majority politicians in power don’t have pass-ports. How can you ever truly see how the decisions you make for your country radiate outward and touch the world if you’ve never left your home town.
Just an FYI that guy was never, “run over”. He was later pulled into a group of people by on lookers and was never identified.
I dont believe this would happen in this pig nation of America because the media has us convinced that all our problems stem from some foreign country such as Iraq and that our pig government is doing the best it can to bring an end to the conflict and bring world peace when for years they have been doing quite the opposite. financing wars in the middle east, obtaining secret contracts allowing them the rights to oil in Iraq. If it did happen here at home the media would again hide the incident and if worst comes to worst they will make the heroic protester look like the bad guy. the person above me is right though the person in the picture was not “run over” but what happened later the same day is the real tragedy, the Chinese government got sick of dealing with the constant protests and initiated what they referred to as a miniature purge killing upwards of 3000 protesters in what is commonly referred to as the Tienanmen Square Massacre.
how about you realize we live in the greatest nation in the world and that as you bash the government you are bashing the very hand that feeds you. The media will always be ethnocentric and is that way in every country. So realize your a pig.
Oh puh-lease! I’m so tired of this jingoistic nonsense…greatest nation in the world?
Sweden and other countries are light years ahead of us. So stop wrapping yourself in the flag and realize that there are countries equally as great if not greater. We are such an isolationist country. Have you EVER traveled or bothered to learn about other countries? No one in the USA ever fed me.
If you really want the government to take total care of you, then go right ahead to the socialist country Sweden. You have to look at what this country was founded for, to have freedom from England and the king. We wanted to do things for ourselves, not have the government be telling us what to do. Having the government there holding your hand through life isn’t the point of the United States. America is the land of opportunity, the government was not made to give you a job or free health-care. If you feel that is how you should be treated then you can just leave and head to some other country. Good luck finding a better place though because there are no other countries in the world which can compare to the US.
yes Nick, that is what our country was founded on, but be realistic. It is quite obvious that capitalism is failing. People are naturally corrupted by our system and become egocentric, worthless pieces of shit. Survival of the fittest and competition is what our entire economy is based upon, but you forget that not everyone truly has the opportunities that others in the U.S. do. Regardless of the exceptions, the fact of the matter is that our prisons are over populated and our education system is near the worst in the developed countries in the world. We are taught to be sheep and consumers in order to keep our country thriving. The high income small percentage control the majority of the country and it is a sad and true reality. Those people that are brought up in poor neighborhoods are forced to attend public schools that lack any real education. Sure, it is very possible to work your hardest and pull yourself out of that life, but it is unlikely and furthermore very difficult unless you have a very strong supporting cast aka family. Unfortunately, most people don’t have ideal home lives and have to deal with problems and conflicts that often get in the way of living an ideal life away from drugs and violence. Having said that, how can you say what you say, unless you are one of those high income egocentric pieces of shit that thrive on blaming all our countries problems on the little man. Trust me when i say this, Socialism is not far off for our country. In fact, if you haven’t noticed what has been happening in the recent past, our government now owns a good chunk of our insurers, bankers, and even auto industries. So you tell me that capitalism is the way to go, when socialism is obviously taking hold because the capitalists have bled our country dry and let the working middle class lay to the waste side. Change is upon us and if you can’t see it then you truly are blinded by this society.
Bang on!!! Its good to see alot of conscious people out there, but as long as narrow minded views still seem to shrug off the reality of whats going on, we’ll never get out of this hole.
hahahahha lolz he stands infront of tanks!
Charles said:
I dont believe this would happen in this pig nation of America because the media has us convinced … … …
Charles,
In America, the mobile infantry does not utilize state highways, that is the reason, if there is any, that this would not happen in America.
some part of me says that standing in front of those tanks was a bad move via what happened that day. But then again i have a strong belief in god and in my country that i also feel that deep inside that i would do the same if it all came down to that same situation. and to the jerk 123 yes he did stand in front of those tanks because he was willing to die for what he belived in, and im willing to bet that you would run away and trash your beliefs in order to survive and to not get caught and that is what really sad about all this
lolz that guy is a noob
owned by a taNkzoR
i would say that the guy is not a noob
but that is my opinion
Totally not a noob. He was an ordinary citizen of Beijing then and decided at that moment, with his shopping bags and all, that those tanks should not be entering Tiananmen Square.
For the record, he did not get run over, nor did he get shot at.
Actually, once the tanks stopped he climbed up on top of the first one and spoke to the tank dude.
Watch the video sometime.
He was later rushed out of the site by some people who, as well “The Tank Man,” remain unknown.
Odds are he was probably arrested and executed.
In any event, he continues to be a revolutionary inspiration to many around the world – except for the modern day Chinese, of course who have probably never even seen this photo because of their Communist government and restriction of Internet media.
great thoughts teresa. it is amazing how rare photos or news about this incident is on the net. must be from censors. too bad.
folks.
check this vid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyPgHwB82xY
gives us another look at tiananmen square.
I just want to know if this guy got ran over or not.
DID HE GET RUN OVER OR NOT??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????/ REPLy!!!!!
please and thank you
he does not get killed by tank documentry is here
http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=32791
Oh! Great job!
Very interesting and helpful post.
I add your interesting blog in my iGoogle page!
We’ll expect many new interesting posts from you
Did the man get squished
this guy was not run over, actually, some of u have ur facts wrong.
I think that guy stood up for what he beleived, because before June 4, 1989 there were millions of people that stood up for what they believed in and then after the massacre people hid in their homes or in dark allies just trying to stay alive, this man represented all of china, he was standing up for all those cowards that were hiding… it’s kinda sad how 1 person is standing up for a couple million and the couple million is just hiding away. Although it seems dumb, he possibly saved his country from collapsing, because he helped others stand up for exactly what he was showing.
A person is a coward for not standing in front of a tank??? Lyzz, it’s easy for you to say anything safe sitting in front of your computer screen typing out bizaare messages.
What actual bravery have you ever been involved in? You weren’t there. Maybe it was braver to care for your family than get involved in a massacre.
He did not save his country from collapsing. Pressure and sanctions from other countries stopped further death. Come back to reality!
Helen, I am not saying that you are wrong, but no one has saved China from collapse other than China itself. Lyzz is correct in that after this happened China pretty much did round up thousands of these activists and slaughtered them behind closed doors. China actively fights a propaganda war by keeping their citizens as low as possible. If pressure and sanctions would have done anything, the Chinese wouldn’t be working for pennies on the dollar in sweat shops living a meager existence. The only thing China had to fear in terms of collapse was a revolution by these groups of activists. That one man stood for something he believed to be right, he believed that if he stood for freedom and equality for his people that maybe, just maybe, his countrymen would stand up and fight. Instead they cowered away and continued to let the Chinese roll over them and treat them more like servants than civilians. They are being taken advantage of and are being stopped from free thought and speech. Leading up to this anniversary the Chinese government began banning websites and blog forums in order to control their people through means of censorship. Don’t tell me that America isn’t the greatest country in the world, because if anything like this happened here, I sure as hell would be out in that street with a lot of other people willing to die in order to save democracy for the rest of the country and future generations. China has one of the largest populations in the world. Their citizens ARE cowards as far as I’m concerned because they allow this to happen. They are brainwashed and kept stupid so that their government may treat them as they please, like slaves. It’s unfortunate and sad, but the reality is that no country is willing to stand up for the Chinese people, so if they truly want to be free they will have to do it themselves, and that brave soul tried.
I’m pretty sure if you tried to find this picture on the internet in China, you can’t.
I saw a video of this a few years ago and it showed the Chinese tanks went around him.
During the event, some generals of the Chinese army sided with the students. China had a problem; the movement was becoming increasingly popular. This is why most of their dirty work was done at night under the cover of darkness.
Correct me, if I’m wrong.
The one thing that no citizen who who wants to live in a free country can say is that something like that could never happen here.
Governments are governments the world over. Our founding fathers recognized that fact when they set up checks and balances in our government.
It’s a good reason not to allow those checks to be dismantled out of fear of something the way we have in recent years.
What would I stand in front of a tank for? Freedom. The freedom for me and my family to live our lives and be the people we want to be and the freedom of others to do the same.
The man standing in front of the tanks was not run over. He was shoved (in actuality, dragged) out of the way by other protestors.
And To Bryan:
Big thing about that. If you google “Tiananmen Square” you won’t get pictures of tanks, but of smiling tourists and happy things.
what tanks were those?
I just got back from China, and was there on the anniversary of the events in 1989. The only clue you have of the anniversary is the police/military presense that day. I did look it up on the internet, and although some things are blocked, I could find the video easily enough.
There were really two heroes at that moment. The guy with the shopping bag in front of a tank and the driver of that tank that rather stoped the parade and faced a great punishment for doing it than run over the civilian.
To the comment #9.
Leave this “pig nation” fool.
You have NO idea about what you are speaking of.
People such as yourself make me SICK.
You JERK.
What do you do for a living?
Let me guess.
Sell dope.
Ah yes, the Ugly American. “Love it or leave it!” How profound.
Freedom of speech is guaranteed in our bill of rights…you remember the constitution?
Most of the world and indeed half of the American public believe it to be a “pig-nation”. You shoot, burn and rape your way around the planet in the name of peace. You steal what isn’t yours and you torture the people who dare protect your lands. You did it to the native americans and now you’re doing it to the rest of the world. What’s sick is that my government have any relationship with you whatsoever. I hate that Britain are associated in any way with your government and their self-righteous bullying.
I hate that people refer to others as if THEY were the ones to perform the acts and atrocities of their countries without taking into consideration that they very likely had little to absolutely no influence on what did or did not happen.
While I agree with some of what you say, Alfie, in regards to the unspeakable acts America has done, it really does a disservice to your point to not look at this all from an objective standpoint.
Lest we forget, Britain is not apart from its own unspeakable past, as I’m sure you’re well aware of, so there would be no need for me to rehash any of it here.
Much of my nation’s history is steeped in regrettable things, and I weep at the thought of this.
But “Happy To Be In The USA” did not perform any of those acts, at least as far as I know.
Although, I would like to say something to “Happy” so nobody things I’m ignoring what most of us are thinking…
Shut up. You’re making the rest of us look kind of stupid.
i sincerely thank you for reminding us of what incredible risks people have done in trying to reach into the hearts of the heartless.
I love this photo because it symbolizes so much about life, that there comes a time in everyone’s life that you must find something to stand for, even though it may kill you.
” A person who does not have principles that he/she is willing to die for at a moment’s notice is already dead, and is of no use or consequence whatsoever.”
-William Copper-
Author of Behold a Pale Horse
god should have stepped in and stopped all of this!
or maybe he was the one behind the killings!
oh well, I’ll just stick my nose back into a little black book and follow a false history.
i admire and respect what this guy has done i even aspire to do something as couragous as this…
although i belive there are too many people with too much money currupting the world…
Like, Daniel said, he was not run over. He was pulled away by his “friends” who were really undercover soldiers and was never identified because he was never found. Looking at what happened to many other protesters, he was probably shot.
Nothing to do with this photo, but in the novel “Forbidden City” it says that after someone was shot, the family would get a bill in the mail to pay for the bullet. How MESSED UP is that? I cannot even imagine how the Chinese citezens lived though that. You would be afraid to go out into your own city because the military, who they were told were the heroes, and were there to protect the people, were actualy shooting at them.
And the sad thing is, so many people in our world live in such fear but we’re all too busy with our own business, we don’t realize that their business affects ours. We are all connected. We are all living in the same place. There’s one world and we get one life. Stand up for what you believe in, even if you’re standing alone. Don’t watch the change, BE the change.
this guy is amazing
i saw a documentary on him that was really good… it was called tank man, by front line on pbs.
i think its really inspirational how he went out into that street alone, facing the oncoming tanks after all that had happened the night before (the massacre).
No the tank man wasn’t run over. He was pushed and dragged away by a group of bystanders. If he did stay then he would have been killed. There was a huge documentary on him on FrontLine (PBS) It was amazing!
How can anyone say this couldn’t happen here? Have you never heard of the Kent State shootings? COINTELPRO? The Jackson State shootings? Get on the stick and read up on the atrocities this country has committed within its own borders. Google is a wonderful thing.
He did not get run over, he was rushed aside by either concerned people or the secret police.
quite sadd TT__TT
ps go on maplestory to find me in the world
‘MARDIA’ do /find mystylezero on the chatlog
The sad thing about this story is that it’s ongoing. The Chinese people are still being persecuted by their government. They work for pennies, are not shown decency in the least, and are seen more as servants than citizens. I still find it an outrage that they were given the olympic games despite their HORRIBLE record on civil liberties and humane treatment of its citizens. The Chinese people don’t know any better and believe they are doing what is best for the country, so they don’t complain. But, the sad reality is that they don’t know true freedom. They live in fear and the rest of the world allows it. We should ALL be ashamed we allow this to continue. China isn’t alone either. Take an extra second to revere this person because he did something very few of us could fathom. I could only hope that in the U.S.A. it would be a million strong in front of that tank and not one solitary person. If only the Chinese people would realize this, they could bring about change, they do have the LARGEST population in the world. That’s a lot of people that could potentially stand up.
This is the first I had seen or heard about the event; tragic.
As for the evidently patriotric defendants of a non-”pig nation”… if you want to consider an outside/foreign view of how your country operates, the government’s role, and (hopefully only) past government’s mistakes, obsession with control and secrecy — it is disgusting to watch.
Perhaps you are proud that due to the government’s highly questionable ethics your country is indeed one of and possibly ‘the’ global ’superpower’. So many people wish the USA would just mind their own business, abolish the right to arms, and stop mongering fear internally about every single perceived ‘threat’ to security.
The US Government is their own worst enemy, and it has brainwashed its people using religion and empty promises.. the US may represent a majority of, or more accurately highly concentrated conglomerate of people covering a vast portion of the world.. but again, this is just the reason the US Government is effective in spreading its messages and signals (teamed with media leeches), and, to use this example, there are only very few people (Charles) who would stand in front of tanks to try to drill this reality into others’ heads.
I am just relieved to have read that there are Americans with their wits about them somewhere.. trying to exercise their freedom of speech.
I did not understand why United States, had China as the number one commercial allied. They are criminals and we should treat them same as Castro goverment.
The Chinese people are far more aware of this day in China than people on this board or the western media actually.
Those protesters were warned and they did not listen by choice. What can you do when people are out of their minds? they refused to leave.
It’s not a secrecy to Chinese people as the media puts it, there’s no conspiracy theory. Everyone in China knows about it.
Chinese people and even over half those students moved on and are living happily, it was a learning experience in Chinese history.
It’s a remembrance day for Chinese people but it’s probably new for westerners.
People who go on about it are just recycling old politics.
China is not the same China anymore.
If the Chinese people are so aware, why do they continue to let their freedoms be taken for granted. I do not know any Chinese nationals, but it is pretty obvious by their human rights history that they value their people very little if at all. It seems to me that they are just using them to accomplish commercial success and power by enslaving them and forcing them to work for near nothing. Who knows, maybe the Chinese people are happy to live just to survive, but there is little if any chance of a Chinese citizen becoming something other than an extension of their government. They are a means of achieving economic power and are hardly shown decency in the least. Do you ever hear about a Chinese person winning any Nobel prize? No. They aren’t given the chance to become great, because they are solely Chinese property. When I see a China that acknowledges the success of an individual and allows for its people to voice their opinion without persecution, then, and only then will i believe that they are aware of how desperate their situation is.
This is a iconic picture and you get a page full of it if you search Google pictures for “Tiananmen Square”. Do the same in China and you get tourist pictures and arcehtecture views, no tank man, no protesters as Google/Yahoo actively helps censor information to the Chinese goverments desire. Not only that, they also provide the goverment with information about “undesired” searches for information as well as provide enough information about IPs etc to track down and arrest the unlucky dissidents (people ahve been arrested and jailed due to this information, killed, likely soon).
Go back in time, say 1944, Anne Frank is hiding in a small room and googles, how long would it take before Gestapo came knocking after Google had sold her out to them`? (As they have stated in court that it’s in their ‘users’ best interest for them to work with the forces in charge and in accordance with local laws).