this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2025
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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.]
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.
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.
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We have reached so many levels of irony that I do not know which one the original meme maker was on.
I assume he doesn’t know because almost no Westerners seem to.
Probably but the irony adds a layer of comedy. By the way the video you linked above seems to be broken.
Thanks, fixed.
That’s a blank link.
Hah, the video must have been taken down last week. I figured it might eventually be.
Here’s another: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq8zFLIftGk
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?
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.
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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:
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Doesn't this rather ignore the fact that the day before the square was cleared of protestors, resulting in hundreds/thousands of deaths?
Considering that Tank Man was never heard from again after the photo was taken, I don't think you claim to understand his rationale for standing in front of the tank.
We can only assume the reason due to the continued censorship of the photo inside China to this day.
Doesn’t this rather ignore the fact that the day before the square was cleared of protestors, resulting in hundreds/thousands of deaths?
You can see people in the Square in this photo. No one died in the Square, though some people did die elsewhere in the downtown area, but not thousands.
Considering that Tank Man was never heard from again after the photo was taken, I don’t think you claim to understand his rationale for standing in front of the tank.
I can’t read his mind, no. But why else might he want to stop tanks from leaving?
We can only assume the reason due to the continued censorship of the photo inside China to this day.
It’s not censored inside China, though. Why do you think that it is, other than through our own Cold War propaganda that tells us so?
- Columbia Journalism Review: The Myth of Tiananmen
- The Tian’anmen Square ‘Massacre’: The West’s Most Persuasive, Most Pervasive Lie.
- 1989 Tian'anmen Square riots
- A Note on the Tiananmen Protests
- Images from Tiananmen 1989 the West never shows (NSFW / CW: violence and death)
- How psy-ops warriors fooled me about Tiananmen Square: a warning
- My Memories of Tiananmen Protest
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I like the image and messaging. I was thinking of calling them Cybercucks.
Swasticars?
Both. Not all swasticars are Cybercucks, but all Cubercucks are swasticars.
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Cybercuck is a better name for Elon than the truck, but Trump is the cuck in their relationship. Iunno.
Beautiful