On the other hand, one man against an army. The power of the people versus the power of the gun. There he stood, implausibly resolute, with his shopping bags. A common Chinese man facing down a column of tanks is surly an act of defiance. For a moment that will be long remembered, the lone man defined the struggle of China's citizens. "Why are you here?" he shouted at the silent steel hulk. "You have done nothing but create misery. My city is in chaos because of you."
It’s one woman against what must seem like, to her, the world. This picture isn’t about race or religion. It’s about what one determined person can do…”The power of one.” Or is it just RAGE
Really powerful stuff. I especially like the last picture. Look at the seething hatred in the faces of the women. Must have taken guts for the black woman to even go to school. The US has come a long way in electing Obama.
In my opinion, the Tianamen Square photo shows more about the soldiers in the tanks than about that anonymous (still, if I'm not mistaken) man. Given the atmosphere of the time, it's always been a surprise to me that they didn't simply grind him under.
it's not the power of these images it's the power of these people i wish i could be 1/1000 as important as these people are
It is the power of the images, without these images , without a camera to show this to the world , these people don't exist These images are used as symbols
I remember the first time I saw the Tianamen Square photo, but it wasn't the one you're showing. My opinion of Photo Journalism changed when I saw these photos placed side-by-side;
( click on image to read brief article )
For me, the one on the left shows the defiance you mention. The one on the right shows solidarity, and a collective defiance to power. Guess which one was published in the US, and which one was published in China...
I check it online. According to this site here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21978560/ the alteration was done as part of a psychological research experiment. However, anyone who remembered the original picture wouldn't be taken in by the alteration.
done as part of a psychological research experiment.
I really wish I had a link to the page that I got this photo from. The matched set no doubt has been used for various purposes, but I don't believe the original alterations were done as part of an experiment. ( thanks for the link, I think more research should be done regarding images, and how we form opinions from viewing them ).
Wow. I literally hate these times when I've looked around and saw no one but God standing with me. They've made my knees knock till I could hardly walk with heart feeling frozen solid along with my thoughts. Eyes bulging, almost peeing pants and ready to faint. The small victories, however, are glorious. I empathise, sympathise and truly admire all those - perhaps foolish as I have been - willing to face what we know in our depth of soul and being we must face. And when we make it out alive we have always been the better for it. Three cheers for the spoken and unspoken heroes and heroines of this world!!
The small victories, however, are glorious. I empathise, sympathise and truly admire all those - perhaps foolish as I have been - willing to face what we know in our depth of soul and being we must face.
Defiance is a necessary evil. You have to break eggs to make an omelet. Stupidity is a completely different animal. Remember the words of General Patton when he spoke of winning a war, you have to make the other poor bastard die for his country not you. Elizabeth Eckard is a great example of the guts it takes to make a proper stand. That Hojji kid throwing the rock at the tank....dumb. He probably was promoted to the rank of suicide bomber.
Very cool pics...the far left want to gain control of our lives and you will see real fascism coming here sooner, not later. Fascism is not carrying a cross like the left has been telling us these past few years, it is coming from the left. That was all a lie and deception so people would look at Bush instead of THEM.
I blame the coward Republicans for not calling out the socialist scum in the Democrat party.
Patton dared to defy and he was murdered for that defiance, that was no accident that took his life. That was a collaboration of American and Soviet Intelligence.
Most left wing communists disagree with me, because that is part of their stealth assault on our rights. They are being exposed for the fascists that they really are. Hitler was a National Socialist; therefore he was far left and even signed a pact with Joseph Stalin. The liberals had no problem with Mussolini or Hitler until he broke the pact with Stalin.
Read the book Liberal Fascism and then get back to me....
Most left wing communists disagree with me, because that is part of their stealth assault on our rights. They are being exposed for the fascists that they really are. Hitler was a National Socialist; therefore he was far left and even signed a pact with Joseph Stalin. The liberals had no problem with Mussolini or Hitler until he broke the pact with Stalin.
Read the book Liberal Fascism and then get back to me....
OUTSTANDING THOUGHT yeah - Mr. Defiance himself - Muntader al-Zaidi (the Baghdad shoe throwing hero)
Would he dare do that to Putin if he was visiting Iraq? No, he wouldn't because he is a coward and he should get 5 years in jail. The KGB BACKED SADDAM and they are more responsible for Iraqi deaths then Bush will ever be.
These people are useful idiots for the socialist scum...period.
It seems to me that anger, rage, and yes even violence IS a proper response at times. Self defense - on a societal scale - against systemic injustices, against widescale violence and destruction of the lives of generations is needed, and so rarely are there people who will stand up for themselves and their communities.
The truth is... has there EVER been a revolution by a majority? You can't wait for 51% of the people to agree with you on an issue.
Below me, the reactionary dog said that the show-tosser should be jailed. The fact is, he probably assumed he would be. The folks marching in Selma, the radicals protesting the World Bank and WTO, Gandhi - if you commit civil disobedience or worse, you HAVE to assume you're going to be beaten, jailed, perhaps even killed.
That's why it's not a hobby for the weak-willed.
All anyone can do is spit into the face of the perceived oppressor. It's up to history to decide if it was genius or misplaced adolescent angst to do so...
It seems to me that anger, rage, and yes even violence IS a proper response at times.
I understand where you are coming from. However, should you pick a fight you can't win or that will cause hardships to your family? After a good bit of thought, my family is more important to me than a "cause"
I understand where you are coming from. However, should you pick a fight you can't win or that will cause hardships to your family? After a good bit of thought, my family is more important to me than a "cause"
Haha... of course family comes first! That's why radical social change is so often a young man's game!
Your comment also means that there might not be an issue that is pressing enough - at least to you - to cause you to go stand in front of a tank. I mean, I imagine it's a last resort. The amount of desperate, last-shot kind of mentality that has to have set in for a man to go stand in front of Chinese tanks MUST be pretty dramatic.
I mean, you have to assume the tanks are going to run you over. Not the sort of thing you go do just because someone raised the taxes on cigarettes or something.
OUTSTANDING THOUGHT yeah - Mr. Defiance himself - Muntade
I'm lost as to whether you meant this tongue-in-cheek or if you are serious.
The shoe throwing moron was just that, a moron. It was not defiance, it was just stupid. To call him a hero and putting him in the same category as Elizabeth Eckard, or Rosa Parks, or anyone who enagaged in true defiance to act as a catalyst for change is detracting from the real heros.
For me there's a fuzzy gray area here. Elizabeth Eckard is a brave hero. The dude throwing a rock at a tank is a moron. The mouse giving the bird to the bird is screwed either way; he's just raging, giving a last act of defiance.
The tank moron is *not* necessarily screwed either way. Nor is he likely to change to change the behavior of the tank with his actions.
It was interesting for me to compare the Tank Moron with his Chinese counterpart. Why was my immediate reaction ("he's a moron" vs. "he's peacefully resisting") so different? Maybe it was the violence...
I think there's a spectrum of behavior here... from brave to foolhardy to stupid. And part of calling something 'stupid' is an implicit morality judgement.
In some sense it'd be brave to walk past a large outdoor Stop Smoking rally with a cig hanging out of your mouth. But most folks would find this stupid...
Is it brave or stupid for a homosexual couple to walk down the street holding hands? Part of your answer depends on your judgement of homosexuality.
For an American example, would it be brave or stupid to openly root for the visiting team at an Oakland Raiders football game? I'd say 'yes'!
As you say, defiance comes from within, from a heart that refuses to stop beating until it is forced to.
You say these photos are not meant as political/religious statements, but they are! If we remove the political and religious implications of WHY these people are choosing to STAND their defiance becomes empty, meaningless. They are being defiant BECAUSE they believe! They are willing to die in order to see the better world they envision come into being. Without faith in such causes acts of defiance would be insane.
The kid standing before the tanks with his rocks, the old woman holding off the soldiers... These are political and/or religious acts. The kid knows he can't stop the tanks and the woman can't stop the soldiers... but still they say, "Here is where I make MY Stand."
By making their Stands the people are declaring their unswerving devotion to their beliefs... whether they are in the right or wrong... Whether another approach might be more effective strategically.
Sadly the Powers That Be often take advantage of the faith of the people and manipulate them for their own ends.
Is there anything you would die for? A point in the sand where you would draw your "line" and say no farther?
That "thing," that "line," is your heart of defiance.
Without having something worth dieing for, does one really have anything worth living for?
What causes such acts of defiance? FAITH and BELIEF! What drives such acts? FAITH and BELIEF!
I understand where you are coming from. However, should you pick a fight you can't win or that will cause hardships to your family? After a good bit of thought, my family is more important to me than a "cause"
This is true most of the time. When the cause is freedom and the effects of it's loss will last for generations would the cause then become more important? What then becomes of your family if freedom is lost? Your children and theirs and their after them, do they pay for today's lack of action?
It’s one woman against what must seem like, to her, the world. This picture isn’t about race or religion. It’s about what one determined person can do…”The power of one.” Or is it just RAGE
Rage and injustice or perhaps just the fact that no other bugger would stand up and help.
It reminds me of my favourite quote: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.' Margaret Mead
It was not defiance, it was just stupid. To call him a hero
good morning - a lot of people that think differently they we do are calling him a hero. throwing a shoe at the leader of the country that invaded his homeland is an act of defiance. you could say that most acts of defiance is stupid
another way to look at this concept (fighting for freedom)
what does the wife of a third world farmer cum freedom figher care about freedom. she wants to feed and take care of her family. This is tough with out a husband
Thank you for inviting me over. Those pictures and the words to follow sure told a story. But when i first saw all those photographs at different times in my life, they briefly pulled me out of a cynical belief system that displays only things that 'look like progress'. Thanks for reminding me what 'Defiance' really is. Owning a belief.
that statement says a lot and leads me off into new directions. However, I am thinking there is more to it than that. I keep finding myself looping back to the concept of human nature
an example - facing off with the school yard bully...
Braveheart In Defiance Of The English Tyranny! William Wallace a true Scotsman,a legend, a king, who will never be forgotten. Love this movie, I have a obsession for it.It is the best speech Ihave ever heard. For Freedom . The New World Order is taking the rights of the people away, thoughout the world...time to be like William Wallace, they may take our lives...but they will NEVER take our freedom.
I mean, you have to assume the tanks are going to run you over. Not the sort of thing you go do just because someone raised the taxes on cigarettes or something.
I am reminded of a revolutionary act of defiance that we Americans like to call the Boston Tea Party. That was motivated by an unfair tax very much like the excessive ones imposed on cigarettes. What may seem a small matter to some may be a symbol of repression to others.
Some flawed thinkers have concluded from that story that all taxes are bad, even those fairly applied to all. These are often the same people who can't tell the difference between fascism and socialism, and who fail to understand the distinction between freedom and unregulated greed.
GREAT COMMENT : Pick a fight you can't win? Well, Alot of time We need to do, although We Loss---But Some one must to be a Leader of the next Generation to follow. Surapon PS. Thanks for GREAT, GREAT photos that remind US ALL OF THE BRAVE.
hmmm lots of interesting comments. lots of non-conformists and rebel-rousers.
who would chose to die to show authorities and others that nobody tells you what to do? will you get to enjoy any of your 'victory'? how will history remember you or will you be categorized as a number in a statistic? if asked will your friends praise you or struggle to find the words to describe what you did to get killed?
"Can we change the world? No, but hell we can all try."
I prefer peaceful defiance tactics (ok that is somewhat of an oxymoron right there) - but I'm thinking along the lines of what Gandi achieved with peaceful protest and civil disobedience.
Dear Friends No, I am not a Philosopher, Just Normal Layman---In My IDEA--We need just One Braved Man/ Woman as the Leader to set up and go to the frontline against the Odd. Yes, That Braved Person/ Leader may be dead on his/ her duty---But set up the Sample ( GOOD or Stupid Sample) for another leaders to follow or do it in better/ smarter way. That why Human race still survive in this difficult world and many type of Lifes are gone forever. Happy Newyear 2009 Surapon
my concept of defiance in day to day life.....a stubbornness that never can bear to be frightened at the will of my moods or others for that matter. my courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me.
the power of one? its a start.....depends how he takes it forward and with what intensity.....
Defiance is in the eye of the beholder. We tend to use it in a more romantic setting, that being, we refer to someone who is standing up for something we believe in as defient, but consider them foolish or outragoues or worse when it is something that we disagree with. Really, take the Virginia Tech shooting for instance. Certainly Mr Cho was defying the established social order when he opened fire on the campus, but we wouldn't call him defiant. Crazy, maybe even evil, but defiant? Even though he was, we wouldn't bother labeling him that way.
A world without defiance would not have created the world as we know it - good bad or otherwise. North America - USA would not be independent and it certainly did not look like a winning battle at times. The US Civil War created on country even if good ole southerners insist on flying the confederate flag.
How about France and the storming of the Bastille - that was a major uprising of defiance when starving oppressed people had enough of a King and Queen who gave nothing back and imprisoned so many.
How many men and women said they had enough and are willing to die for their cause and that in many cases is their very life; freedom to live, love, work, be an individual, be a family and enjoy life? When power is abused and people suffer, how many are willing to help/fight for the oppressed vs stand by and watch the carnage? Oppression brings defiance.
Defiance is in the eye of the beholder. We tend to use it in a more romantic setting, that being, we refer to someone who is standing up for something we believe in as defient, but consider them foolish or outragoues or worse when it is something that we disagree with.
well said - a good example would be the "shoe thrower" - see earlier comments
Dear GST4U. Wow---Agreat Article/ Great Photos--Thanks---This Article make us Talk and Express our own IDEA--Plus We can Learn from Every one's IDEA too. Same Article/ Same Photo , But see in Diffrence point of Views. I love their IDEAS. Great Job. Surapon
The man who threw the shoe at Bush wasn't defiant he was grandstanding! The guy in front of the tanks was brave, defiant is if they shoot you, if you have no weapons or method to make them also hurt, shoot them the finger and swear profanity at them as they roll the tank over you body.
There was a video of this boy daring the tank drivers. he would move back and trying to keep himself safe yet being an obstacle to the tank drivers. Remember the kid inside the tank is a human bing first then a soldier, with an obligation to do the lesser of two evils, what if it were Patton in a similar situation the kid may have been flattened after a period of time for Patton or a more seasoned military person, to consider the situation.
Most intelligent people will stop and think before they throw that rock (or shoe) or stand in front of a tank in defiance. Maybe thinking stops us from going with our gut reaction. Is that a good or bad thing?
maybe - would their father or mother be proud of them?
I am sure a parent doesn't want their child to have to fight or suffer but what if their parents and communities were killed by the armies or as in some cases their sister raped and home ransacked? there is a breaking point when logic no longer follows that of run and hide because you can't, there is no safe place. You find yourself in a fight to the death - do you stand and be killed or do you go in a blaze of battle? I would go down fighting.
very good point - when humans are pushed into a corner, they forget what fear is and become fighting machines
Survival and indignation become at the core like a cornered animal facing a gun, it will rush and kick/bite what is blocking it's way to the death. I also akin it to that super human strength that shows up when the hero who picks the car up to drag out the person or animal who is trapped under it to save the day.
How do I know I would fight? I was the only girl with three brothers who loved to taunt and tease and I was also one of those who the bullies loved to pick on and push around. One day when my brother was pushing me around I snapped and the adrenalin kicked in and I said no more. I began hitting back and I never felt a thing when he hit me in return until my mother broke it up. I didn't care that he was 6ft and I was about 4'9". I was done!
I didn't live with guns or famine or tyrannical leaders like Saddam who thought nothing of killing his daughters husbands. Makes you wonder what it would take for the Iraqi people to have risen up in rebellion against all the murders and oppression? Where is their breaking point? After all the guy did drain the lake and livelihood of his people? He was not a nice guy - feared not loved.
This story did not have a happy ending but fits your comment very well
It brings tears to my eyes and breaks my heart seeing the fear in his face and eyes - no one should have to live thru that it is so tragic. I can imagine being the father trying so hard but knowing the chances are not good.
Look in Widipedia this photo was possibly staged and or the shots were actually from Palestinian gunfire. Staging photo's for propaganda is a common practice in fact there were several hundred pictures during the US Civil War where the same bodies were used in several photos depicting different battles and stories. Who knows? It is hard to believe unless you see it for your self and sometimes I don't believe my own lying eyes. I think they are trying to make another run with this photo, it was on the news today. I Copy Paste from Wiki: Muhammad Jamal al-Durrah (1988-2000) Arabic: محمد جمال الدرة) was a Palestinian boy reported to have been killed by gunfire from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip on September 30, 2000, in the early days of the Second Intifada.[1] The cause of the death is disputed. Initially, it was reported the the boy was killed as a result of IDF gunfire, however some investigations have suggested that he might have been killed by Palestinian gunfire, and some people believe that the entire incident was staged.[2]
From one of the links, a comment I found interesting stated: "With the addition of a few little upsetting and arousing elements in the ... photo, people remembered this peaceful protest as being more violent than it was, and as a society we have to figure how we can regulate this." In other words, they remembered it differently than it happened, primarily, if not exclusively, because other (apparently plausible) elements had been introduced into the event.
I have been doing some reading lately abt how our memory is always a recreation that we experience not as the original event, but as it has changed based upon how many times it's been replayed whether orally or in our heads. Every time we replay a memory, it changes in some aspect - or several, or many - such that our recollection is always based upon an ever altering memory, and not the original incident.
very good point - when humans are pushed into a corner, they forget what fear is and become fighting machines
When my sons were young and still at home, they came running into the house frightened of a dog that was scaring them and some friends. When I went to explore, I was startled by the large dog as it charged toward me. It must have been a husky or something mixed with husky as I recall.
My back was against the brick wall of the house and I could retreat no further when the dog took a flying leap toward me, teeth bared.
Without thinking, I rared my arm back and slapped that dog upside the head so hard it went hurling across the yard. I'm quite sure adrenaline was at play.
The dog shook himself off and ran away.
All of the kids were as astounded as I was, but they were awfully proud of me for being so BRAVE. haha. Little did they realize that I was terrified with my back against the wall and nowhere to turn, acting without thinking - a fighting machine!
That is so true. As stories that get told repeatably, meanings and facts become blurred each time it is retold. The nearest thing to getting a story straight as an example, I am a 32 Degree Scottish Rite Mason and all the work is done from memory and memorized by the person receiving the information. It is not done on a one on one except to learn but many on one before you receive the degrees with correctiveness. When your mind processes the story it adds as needed and leaves blank as needed to correct the story situation. I believe what you have been reading is correct. I was talking with a military buddy the other day and he has a version of an incident that happened during our flying days over southeast Asia that I can't recall at all and he swears I was there, maybe I blocked it. I recall many flights but not the incident he was talking about. About the peaceful protest incident with the tank, the little guy although brave knew he wasn't in any great danger as the personnel in the tank were probably having a good laugh at him, it was probably the high point of their day. Once we had a guy hold us up with a flock of geese for about two hours, he must of had a trillion geese, we followed him for a mile before he let us through, at that moment he knew he was in control and kept us at bay for his on good time.
"With the addition of a few little upsetting and arousing elements in the ... photo, people remembered this peaceful protest as being more violent than it was, and as a society we have to figure how we can regulate this."
I think this is one of of the good things about blogging about current events
Leading the fight is Gunnery Sgt Michael Burghardt, known as 'Iron Mike' or just 'Gunny'. He is on his third tour in Iraq . He had become a legend in the bomb disposal world after winning the Bronze Star for disabling 64 IEDs and destroying 1,548 pieces of ordnance during his second tour.
Then, on September 19, he got blown up. He had arrived at a chaotic scene after a bomb had killed four US soldiers. He chose not to wear the bulky bomb protection suit. 'You can't react to any sniper fire and you get tunnel-vision,' he explains. So,protected by just a helmet and standard-issue flak jacket, he began what bomb disposal officers term 'the longest walk', stepping gingerly into a 5 foot deep and 8 foot wide crater.
The earth shifted slightly and he saw a Senao base station with a wire leading from it. He cut the wire and used his 7 inch knife to probe the ground. 'I found a piece of red detonating cord between my legs,' he says. 'That's when I knew I was screwed.'
Realizing he had been sucked into a trap, Sgt Burghardt, 35, yelled at everyone to stay back. At that moment, an insurgent, probably watching through binoculars, pressed a button on his mobile phone to detonate the secondary device below the sergeant's feet. 'A chill went up the back of my neck and then the bomb exploded,' he recalls. 'As I was in the air I remember thinking, 'I don't believe they got me.' I was just ticked off they were able to do it. Then I was lying on the road, not able to feel anything from the waist down.'
His colleagues cut off his trousers to see how badly he was hurt. None could believe his legs were still there. 'My dad's a Vietnam vet who's paralyzed from the waist down,' says Sgt Burghardt. 'I was lying there thinking I didn't want to be in a wheelchair next to my dad and for him to see me like that. They started to cut away my pants and I felt a real sharp pain and blood trickling down. Then I wiggled my toes and I thought, 'Good, I'm in business.' 'As a stretcher was brought over, adrenaline and anger kicked in. 'I decided to walk to the helicopter. I wasn't going to let my team-mates see me being carried away on a stretcher.' He stood and gave the insurgents who had blown him up a one-fingered salute. 'I flipped them one. It was like, 'OK, I lost that round but I'll be back next week.'
Copies of a photograph depicting his defiance, taken by Jeff Bundy for the Omaha World-Herald, adorn the walls of homes across America and that of Col John Gronski, the brigade commander in Ramadi, who has hailed the image as an exemplar of the warrior spirit.
Sgt Burghardt's injuries - burns and wounds to his legs and buttocks - kept him off duty for nearly a month and could have earned him a ticket home. But, like his father - who was awarded a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts for being wounded in action in Vietnam - he stayed in Ramadi to engage in the battle against insurgents who are forever coming up with more ingenious ways of killing Americans.
Thank you! Maybe some people might call me a war monger, if they like. My idea of war, is its is not a game, it is a must win situation. I am proud there are people like the Sargent. Thank your for your addition to this blog!
I am not a war monger either but I do recognize and salute the bravery, valour and strength of the men and women who dare to do this. Staring death in the face and being willing to fight for the freedom of another people with your life at stake. How many of us are willing to stand up and fight for a stranger in our own city let alone travel thousands of miles and fight to maybe your death. Laying down their lives for the life and freedom of another with no gain for oneself. Salute!
I may not be a soldier in the Millitary but I am willing to stand for truth in my life. Each person can do their part of being an honorable caring citizen - Love your neighbor as yourself. Living not just honestly but in Truth.
I'll dance to my own rhythm, follow my own music, because I can get away with it.
I defy time, I defy life.
Make me get up from this mattress from whence I write, from whence I read Shakespeare, from when I am enjoying my cup.
Is anything going to make me give this up to go outside and be one of them... one of those people out with no particular reason but that they have to?
I'll get out up from this mattress, get out of this room, ones I've had enough of Shakespeare, ones I'm done with my cup, ones I've had my fill of this loud music.
Very nice! I love to sleep and on those mornings when it is just warm enough to have the windows open but chilly enough for a plush comforter, I love to languish and listen to the birds twitter.
I like the way this poster sums up the concept - 
Defiance for the sake of defiance? OK, 
On the other hand, 
It’s one woman against what must seem like, to her, the world. This picture isn’t about race or religion. It’s about what one determined person can do…”
it's not the power of these images
