Thread: Tank Man documentary clip

Random creepy video I like. The "Orwellian historicity" of it gives off a chill.






A really cool piece of mythology about that period is the "Goddess of Democracy", here is the wiki page about it. Its unnerving for me that the symbolism of a woman holding up a flame, or in some cultures its a walking staff, is very old and very wide spread icon of ownership of self (best phrase I can think of for the different meanings the icon represents) through different cultures. Almost like it is a hardwired part of human grey matter. The dedication for the statue the students erected is in my opinion one of the more moving paragraphs I have ever read. From the wikipage above,

At this grim moment, what we need most is to remain calm and united in a single purpose. We need a powerful cementing force to strengthen our resolve: That is the Goddess of Democracy. Democracy…You are the symbol of every student in the Square, of the hearts of millions of people. …Today, here in the People’s Square, the people’s Goddess stands tall and announces to the whole world: A consciousness of democracy has awakened among the Chinese people! The new era has begun! …The statue of the Goddess of Democracy is made of plaster, and of course cannot stand here forever. But as the symbol of the people’s hearts, she is divine and inviolate. Let those who would sully her beware: the people will not permit this! …On the day when real democracy and freedom come to China, we must erect another Goddess of Democracy here in the Square, monumental, towering, and permanent. We have strong faith that that day will come at last. We have still another hope: Chinese people, arise! Erect the statue of the Goddess of Democracy in your millions of hearts! Long live the people! Long live freedom! Long live democracy!"[3]

Anyway felt like sharing.

AMS

For them it never happened. One of the kids had some notion, but its like when I clean my stove top, but instead of stains from cooking its history. Its creepy. It would be like having no cultural memory of the civil war some other large event, but this isn't something that happened in some foggy past it was yesterday on the time scale of a culture.

Originally Posted by Xavsnipe

Yea...it’d be something like not remembering the civil rights movement or some shit like that.

Better example then mine by a good amount.

Originally Posted by WickedTribe

China is extreme, but I think that most countries are guilty of this kind of whitewashing to a lesser extent. Japan was called out on it a few years ago, when it was discovered that their history texts didn't touch on Japanese atrocities in WWII. In the US, we brush over a lot of our history involving native Americans, or at least, we did when I was in school. I wonder how many US kids would know about the Kent State massacre.

Freaking love that song.

Even if its not taught in class, we still have a culture that places value on remembering our mistakes, missteps and stains. I have a book shelf near my computer desk with a hodgepodge of books, I haven't really organized my library since I moved into my apartment, but that they are all mixed up gives an example. Just looking at some of the titles on one shelf I see this,

'A struggle for power' Theodore Draper
'The nature of things' Lucretius
'One society and social change' Karl Marx
'The anti-federalist papers' The counter argument for not nationalizing the colonies
'Mark twain collected essays and tales'
'Trial of Henry Kissinger' Hitchens
'The history of the devil and the idea of evil' Carus
'The works of Plato'
'The origin of species' Darwin

A list of trouble makers, dissenters, rebels and tank men spanning western civilization. They don't get any, no conflicting concepts to ponder over, accept or disregard. No text no memory no dissent. The sterility of it is what creeps me out so much I suppose. My bookshelf is everything China isn't.