• davel [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Another ironic example of Westerners not understanding what tank man was actually doing: stopping the tanks from leaving Tianmanmen Square. He was doing the opposite of an act of defiance against government involvement; he wanted them to be involved. Also, he left the scene unscathed when other civilians came and scurried him away: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq8zFLIftGk

    Maybe Western media always show us a cropped version of the tank man photo, with Tianmanmen Square removed, because it doesn’t fit in with their narrative.

    [Edit to replace deleted YouTube video.]

    • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Jesus fucking christ. I watched this shit happen. I watched the uncut footage air. That man was fucking pissed. He kept blocking the tanks while absolutely losing his shit screaming at the tank. Neither of us was there so neither of us knows why or what he was screaming but it was most definitely a clear act of defiance. You cannot in any way say that he was asking them to “go back” and “stay involved”.

      Here is the footage.

      https://media.gettyimages.com/id/450068672/video/a-lone-man-stops-a-convoy-of-tanks-during-the-tiananmen-square-protests-in-beijing-1989.mp4?s=mp4-640x640-gi&k=20&c=CCERCYPtGDpeNsNsDmVMA5LAovD-byP0E_f4d1oHzgA%3D

      • davel [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        That’s just a shorter version of the video I posted. And I don’t think the full footage ever aired on TV, because it’s around ten or twenty minutes long, mostly of him on top of the tank having a conversation with the crew.

        • ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com
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          1 year ago

          Upon watching the video then reading further, they seem to have left the square to clear nearby streets. Your comment says he wanted them to stay. Therefore you’re saying he wanted them not to continue clearing the area? Or are you saying he wanted them to continue to maintain the square?

          • davel [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            He seems to be blocking their exiting the square, so it appears he wanted them to remain in it. I don’t know where the tanks were going. Perhaps back to base, perhaps somewhere else.

            Edit to add: Back to base seems most likely, because this was on June 5th, the day after the protests had ended.

          • Pili@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            they seem to have left the square to clear nearby streets

            That sounds so strange, how do we expect them to clear entire streets if they can’t even get past a single guy armed with grocery bags?

    • JohnnyFlapHoleSeed@lemmy.worldBanned from community
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      1 year ago

      The video you linked to says that the footage was spliced together from a 2006 documentary aired by PBS, here’s a summary

      The Incident: On June 5, 1989, a day after the Chinese army violently suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, an unarmed man, later known as “Tank Man,” stood his ground in front of a line of tanks on the Avenue of Eternal Peace.

      Iconic Image: Captured by Western journalists, this image became a powerful symbol of defiance and the struggle for freedom worldwide.

      Documentary’s Focus: The FRONTLINE documentary, “The Tank Man,” explores the events surrounding the Tiananmen Square protests, the identity of “Tank Man,” and the significance of his act of defiance. Filmmaker’s Investigation: