As we near the 20th anniversary of the events in Tiananmen Square, The New York Times posted a great article that includes interviews with each of the photographers that captured what has become the most amazing "representation of oppression world wide."
A man known as "Tank Man," who is anonymous even still today, chose to take a stand against a line of tanks that eventually started shooting into the crowds of people that were now lining the streets. He had to know he had no chance of surviving a fight with those tanks, they could squash him like a bug, and in that country, could do so with no guilt or persecution.
Yet even without superhero powers described in comic books and sci-fi movies, he was able to do just that, even for a moment. Long enough for photographers to capture his one act of defiance against the country who was suppressing basic human rights. Long enough that the world could see him stand up and say, "No!"
We are fortunate enough to live in a country that, at least for now, is safe. We have no fear of soldiers coming into our house in the middle of the night taking whatever they want, or hurt our families. And we don't live in a country whose government completely controls what information we be allowed to know, or share with others. Yes, there are political agendas regarding what the media decides to report, but there are freedoms here that most others in the world do not have.
I think it's hard for us to understand on a deeper level what it means to take a stand against a 40 ton tank, that represents a 40 ton government. What would it take for you to throw your body in front of a tank? Risking it all. And potentially gaining nothing.
Chances are Tank Man probably didn't survive his act of disrespect. He lived in a country that does not honor freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble. He lived in a place where if you take a stand against something the government is supporting, you are never heard from again.
Even though we probably won't ever know who he was, I think he made a difference to a lot of people in the world. It started with the photographers who risked their lives to smuggle the photos they took out of the country so the world could see what they saw.
A man taking a stand. Trying to make a difference.
MAD21
The day after I posted this article, The New York Times did a follow-up with another photographer who had never published his photos. It's a great story. It took me a minute to find Tank Man in the picture. He is at the top right, between the trees.