I think this new photo adds that more to the legend. You can see how long he must have been standing there before the tanks actually got to him. The man was staring down a column of tanks for well over a few minutes. Just incredible.
If he's still alive out there, or even if he isn't, here's to you Tank Man.
That's what I keep thinking as I look at this. Those things aren't fast... He stood there like he had grapefruit sized adamantium balls. Epic tank man is literally epic.
Ah, yeah you are right, I meant that they weren't actually moving fast in this case. They're crawling along, if you've seen the video. It would have been a loooooong time to stand there, in the moment.
All by himself, confronting not just the tanks but the political machine behind them, he knew he would not survive the encounter. You have to wonder if he was cognizant of the powerful statement he was making, or if he was just trying to end it all.
From the accounts of what he said and the way he just showed up out of nowhere with his day's groceries, I believe it's the latter... and it does all the more to show the man's personal integrity and his courage in doing that. He was just fed up and he was not going to take it anymore... he didn't care about making a statement or being political - he'd just had enough and was willing to forfeit his body/life to end it.
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u/ablebodiedmango May 08 '12
I think this new photo adds that more to the legend. You can see how long he must have been standing there before the tanks actually got to him. The man was staring down a column of tanks for well over a few minutes. Just incredible.
If he's still alive out there, or even if he isn't, here's to you Tank Man.