Pictures That Changed The World [ Lesson ]

[cjalalos]

It's  a great lesson, but I'd be afraid using it... and kind of nervous being watched by a coteacher

[ehmaeearwhy]

Yikes. Didn't really want to get into this as it is a heavy topic but here goes. The usual narrative espoused by the traditional media sources (NY Times, CNN, CBC, BBC etc) is a rather more simplistic "students vs. the communist government" in a fight over democracy. The reality is a whole lot more complex. 

First, the students themselves weren't seeking "democracy" in the strictest sense of the word i.e. voting for their leaders and such, but rather they wanted an end to corruption. At the time, these students weren't able to find employment even though they had graduated from or were still in university. The best jobs went to those with ties to the communist government. This corrupt system was what angered them. The government was aware of this and let them vent their frustration. This went on for SEVEN weeks. As a thought exercise, imagine what would happen if there was a march on the White House with daily protests for seven weeks. Additionally, there were protests in big cities, all over China.

Secondly, the protests themselves weren't always peaceful, especially towards the end.  The students threw molotov cocktails and many soldiers were attacked, killed, and burned as well.  The students were angry, and they have absolutely every right to be angry. But I think we can all agree that those innocent soldiers didn't deserve to be viciously murdered.

Finally, the massacre itself.  There was indeed a massacre that night, but it wasn't the students that were gunned down and it didn't happen in Tiananmen Square itself. On the Avenue of Eternal Peace nearby, hundreds of workers and innocent passerbys were indeed massacred. These faceless, nameless people are conveniently ignored by the majority of the Western press to this day because the narrative is just not as exciting. The CCP were willing to tolerate the students protests to an extent because these students were the future. As they got older, these students will join the communist party and become leaders, helping to craft policy. The uprisings by the workers on the other hand, were not tolerated.

Sources:
http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/the_myth_of_tiananmen.php?page=1
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/08/china.olympics2008
http://gregoryclark.net/page15/page15.html     

EDIT: Aaaand one more for good measure. This one courtesy of Wikileaks:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8555142/Wikileaks-no-bloodshed-inside-Tiananmen-Square-cables-claim.html

mind. blown.