18 years ago today, a man stepped onto the street.........

[formerrepuke]

..One of the most unforgettable images ever.

(OK- yesterday, June 5th was the anniversary, but DU was unavailable)

[yardwork]

1. And today we've sold most of our economy to that country

that is no more democratic than it was then. Instead, we've fallen to their level.

[Javaman]

3. what that guy did was brave, but all he did...

was cause china not to reflect upon itself but to become everything that makes capitalism bad and couple that with communistic control.

Which whom I might add holds an enormous amount of our debt in T-bonds.

Kinda puts a whole new spin on the pic.

[AndyA]

4. And the worst part of it is: Americans are too stupid to see what's going on.

We are selfish, spoiled, self-centered.

When doing the right thing is going to be inconvenient, cost more, or troublesome in any way, we just ignore it and do what's easiest for us.

We shop at Wal-Mart because we can get everything we need in one trip, and we think we're saving money.

We buy foreign cars, foreign clothes, foreign doo-dahs, widgets, wadgets, and goo-gahs.

We've forgotten that we must support our own country, and our neighbors jobs.

We are truly fortunate that our forefathers were not as selfish, if they had been America would have never existed, because it would have been too much trouble to fight for freedom and create a country where all are equal.

And now we've gone a long way toward undoing what so many fought and lost their lives for. Our forefathers are surely upset and disappointed in the pathetic, lazy people known as Americans today.

(I know there are those who do not take this direction, and I respect them for that, but by and large I believe this sums up most of America today: they don't get upset or get involved until it impacts them personally, until then they take what they are given and just accept it, regardless of whether it's the best thing for the country.)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. That is one powerful image...

Of a man who was unafraid......

We need more like him...

[AndyTiedye]

7. You Would Not See That Today. The Tanks Would Have Run Him Over Without Slowing Down

[Art_from_Ark]

23. They did, eventually

Perhaps they did not run over the person in the picture, but once the Mandarin-speaking PLA soldiers had been replaced with Mongolian speakers who did not understand the local language, it wasn't too hard for the latter group to obey the order to "eliminate the enemies of the state".

[negativenihil]

5. the picture

...has lost none of it's power.

thanks.

[Sal Minella]

6. What haunts me most about this picture is remembering the protester in Israel lying in front of a

tank, but the tank did not stop, and ran over her and killed her. This protester death faded from the news fairly rapidly, as I remember.

So some people seem to think this guy standing in front of the tank represents some sort of high point of courage, but I admire more the humanity of the man driving the tank who put the brakes on....

[underseasurveyor]

8. Rachel Corrie

Bless her heart. RIP Dear RachelO8)

[AuntPatsy]

22. Looking at the picture made me remember that poor woman's fate...horrific.

[underseasurveyor]

9. What ever happened to that guy?

:shrug:

[Mind_your_head]

11. I don't think anyone knows what his fate was for sure

or who this guy actually was. There were rumors, but I don't think he was 100% positively ID'd, IIRC.

[Posteritatis]

19. Heard a few stories, they're mostly conjecture

The most common one I've heard is that the guy was captured and executed a week or two later; another one says he's alive and in hiding; others say he's in Taiwan. I'm not sure if there's any strong evidence for any of them (especially the last); nobody's even nailed down the guy's name firmly enough to know who he is/was for sure.

My hunch is that he was arrested and executed pretty quickly, but I also admit I don't have much in terms of evidence for that (beyond the fact that the guy's never been heard from again).

Stuff like that's weird; you go enough years down the road from now and there'll probably be people trying to figure out whether he existed or not in the first place. It's something to think about; the guy's simultaneously a human Schroedinger's Cat, and immortal.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. He was just one of those "Attention Whores" that the "moderates" complain about.

[rucky]

12. Damn I'm old.

What's Changed in China since then?

[LeftishBrit]

13. I remember that; a very powerful image...

But alas, the government just cracked down even further.

I know someone who grew up in China, and she thinks that Bush has a lot in common with the Chinese communist party leaders: both retain power by stirring up fear of 'evil foreigners' and a corresponding desire to be protected by 'strong leaders'.

[Mind_your_head]

14. Brave souls - both

the man in front of the tank AND the tank driver - HUMANITY in action. That's why, I believe, this picture captures so many hearts and minds....you're the guy who runs in the front of the tank, or the driver of the tank, in either case, you do *what*?

Peace to All,
Mind_Your_Head!!!

[Posteritatis]

20. Now you've got me wondering what happened to the driver... (nt)

[Mind_your_head]

21. It was a different world "back then"

When China was struggling to gain "most favored nation" status. Back THEN China wouldn't have DARED to show how uncivil they were by blowing this un-armed guy with the white shirt away right in front of all our internationally watchful eyes.

Yet, look what happened in our "enlightened world" to Rachel Corrie. What ever happened to THAT guy who ran her over and KILLED HER? versus the 'Chinese driver who knew enough to STOP'.

How far the US has fallen....I can place blame for that in a few places.

(to be clear, this post isn't directed at YOU in any way. I want to say "thanks" for giving me the opportunity to air some thoughts/observations of mine that have been 'in my craw' for quite some time now).

[rasputin1952]

15. Sometimes, the greatest movements start with unknowns that

are willing, at their time, to stand up to those things that destroy our humanity.

Buddha, Confucius, Ghandi, Jesus, King and many others were seen as people who would destroy the status quo, but their methods were born in humility, and until they became household names, they were small people with larger than life ideas.

This man, standing there, in front of T-64's did not change the world, nor China, nor Tianammen Square...but he took hold of a piece of mankind, long forgotten and deep within us and shook it.

The tank commander moved the tank right and left, the man moved w/the tank...the driver and tank commander refused to run him over. Perhaps the tank behind this man would have run him over...but this man showed down a tank, and a regime. We need more like him, we need more like Ghandi, Jesus and King as well.

Seeds were planted on that day, and perhaps they will take hold and grow in the future...time will tell...O8)

[Decruiter]

16. My youngest brother was living in China then, pretending to teach English while he

evangelized for a pretty well known organization.

He isn't a preacher anymore, but it was a scary moment in time for our family then. We didn't know if we were going to be able to get him out of China before something bad happened. He was working undercover for a "Christian" organization. Oppression, it knows no bounds.

June 5th and China, June 6th and RFK. Pretty heady stuff, just makes me want to cry.

Will we ever make it, will we ever as a species be not destructive?

Can we ever stop war and aggression?

[Jed Dilligan]

17. I read somewhere

the guy was mentally ill, had nothing to do with the protests.

just sayin'...

[Mind_your_head]

18. I hope you just forgot to add the

:sarcasm: thingy.....