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The redditor "Tienanmen Square massacre" narrative is flat earther levels of crank shit and needs to be recognized as such. (hexbear.net)

submitted 7 months ago by Frank@hexbear.net to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net

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This shit has seriously gone on too long. People who continue to cling to the "10,000 dead crushed by tanks hosed i to the gutter" bs are cranks. It's jews control the banks, chemtrails, the earth is flat, the moon isn't real level of crank shit and unless you're feeling very indulgent and someone is asking in good faith it can be dismissed as equally serious to that kind of crank shit.

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[-] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 71 points 7 months ago

I think one of the interesting things about Tinyman and the tankman picture in particular is the mass psychosis (sorry if there's a better non-ableist term I currently can't conjure it) that the man in the picture was ran over by the tank. It's a claim that can be categorically disproven by 15 seconds of video. But it contradicts the hegemonic narrative, so it's like the video isn't real, the vibes are more real than hard evidence that this man was allowed to just walk.

[-] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 55 points 7 months ago

This is potentially a good starting point for exposing the greater mythology about the event.

Ask if the person you're speaking with thinks the tank man was ran over.

If they say yes, pull up the video, and ask if that makes them wonder what else about the incident has been mythologized. If they can admit they bought some BS you can work with them, if they dig in ("oh I'm sure something sinister happened to him later") you're wasting your time.
If they say no, ask why a column of tanks was so deferential with that one guy when the story goes that there was an unprompted slaughter going on elsewhere. You can talk about how the event escalated, who was escalating, etc.

[-] highalectical@lemmygrad.ml 40 points 7 months ago

I've seen youtube comment sections where the full video is shown and people are like "ah, but the people who shooed him away from the tank were actually see see pee secret police in disguise".

[-] Tabitha@hexbear.net 37 points 7 months ago

think-about-it no stronger evidence than the complete absence of evidence.

[-] SkingradGuard@hexbear.net 16 points 7 months ago

Weren't they his friends or something?

[-] Huldra@hexbear.net 34 points 7 months ago

We know basically nothing about him or the other civilians involved from what I understand.

[-] FourteenEyes@hexbear.net 29 points 7 months ago

I know that guy used that story to get laid for years after

[-] Wertheimer@hexbear.net 31 points 7 months ago

https://www.theonion.com/chinese-guy-still-insisting-it-was-him-in-front-of-that-1819586931

[-] 420blazeit69@hexbear.net 4 points 7 months ago

freedom-and-democracy

[-] Frank@hexbear.net 13 points 7 months ago

Yeah, afaik Tank Man has never been identified.

I wish I could speak Chinese because I'd love to know what Baidu think's about the annual Western June 4th Freakout.

[-] QuietCupcake@hexbear.net 10 points 7 months ago

Yeah, afaik Tank Man has never been identified.

Yep. PBS Frontline did an entire episode on the great mystery of "what happened to Tank Man" replete with cringe liberalisms like "what happened to the hOpE fOr dEmOcRaCy in China?!?" and how he "stood for the ordinary people!"

[-] highalectical@lemmygrad.ml 19 points 7 months ago

I'm not sure. I thought they were random concerned bystanders. Regardless, libs jump to the least charitable interpretation whenever the subject is [insert bad country here].

[-] Frank@hexbear.net 14 points 7 months ago

It's almost like a party-parenti Non-falsifiable orthodoxy!

[-] Tabitha@hexbear.net 23 points 7 months ago

mass psychosis (sorry if there's a better non-ableist term I currently can't conjure it) that the man in the picture was ran over by the tank.

I feel like the term Mandela Effect would apply here.

[-] Xx_Aru_xX@hexbear.net 23 points 7 months ago

and similar to the Mandela effect, it's Crakkkers not paying attention

[-] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 14 points 7 months ago

Yeah it's somewhat similar. The mandela effect people love to cite evidence for their claims though (even if it's bunk evidence), in this case it is entirely 100% vibes based.

[-] FemboyStalin@hexbear.net 14 points 7 months ago

The Mandela effect is rooted in racism just as much as this is.

[-] Frank@hexbear.net 9 points 7 months ago

Yeah, I don't think psychosis fits, because it's a propaganda thing not an individual loss of connection with reality, but I don't know what better term there is. Cultural delusion? It's wild.