The Tank Man
On TV documentaries, grocery runs, and what happens with national interests on a really long time horizon
In the midst of widespread technological change that sometimes results in mild to serious social upheaval, it’s easy to get the wrong impression that everything is changing quickly. In fact, the world is a blend of the slow and fast, and calibrating our responses to reality can take a lot of effort.
■ 37 years ago, the Chinese Communist Party used the armed forces at its disposal to violently repress pro-democracy demonstrations at Tiananmen Square.
■ Probably the most enduring image of that multi-day incident is the Tank Man, who simply stood, groceries in hand, directly in the path of a tank as an act of fearless, spontaneous protest.
■ The “Frontline” documentary of the incident should be required viewing for all Americans. For one thing, it is a compelling depiction of the First Amendment spirit we too easily take for granted.
■ No less important, though, it is a tale about building the future we want. That begins with conceiving of a world where individual librties are universally protected and the consent of the governed is secured voluntarily. But it also includes having a serious, persistent, and extremely long-term plan for how to advance those values worldwide.
■ That doesn’t mean advancing them at gunpoint (quite the opposite; if they aren’t chosen freely and endogenously, they’re unlikely to stick). But it does mean looking at a character like the Tank Man and asking how his quest for dignified citizenship can best be supported from abroad, and how it can be secured in ways that make our own liberties safer in the world, too. If 37 years and counting is too long a wait (and it surely is), then what should we have been doing all along and what’s holding us back from acting without any further delay?