What’s the historical significance of Tiananmen Square? People sure seem to like talking about it, but personally I don’t really see why it warrants so much attention, in the grand scheme of things.
The main thing to me is simply the Chinese government’s constant efforts to pretend it didn’t happen.
Contrast this with places like America, or especially Germany. Both countries have done awful things to minorities. They often put attention on those misdeeds to ensure future generations don’t repeat the mistakes. Now, it’s considered patriotic to protest poor government decisions.
Exactly! And what’s the historical significance of the Holocaust? Why can’t people just get over it? I don’t really see why it warrants so much attention, in the grand scheme of things.
It’s significant as a potential turning point, in that it was an existential crisis for the Party and had it succeeded we’d be looking at a very different China today.
In Chinese politics I think you could argue that it was such a threatening and frankly embarrassing incident for the Party that they’ve been far more responsive to public attitudes since, to head-off the growth of oppositional-to-government movements again. I mean there’s a reason we haven’t seen anything remotely similar happen in China since.
In terms of how Westerners see it though, it’s not really significant beyond being a stick to beat China with. It was definitely a tragedy that should’ve been avoided, but the attention given to it over 30 years later is only there because it’s geopolitically convenient.
What’s the historical significance of Tiananmen Square? People sure seem to like talking about it, but personally I don’t really see why it warrants so much attention, in the grand scheme of things.
The main thing to me is simply the Chinese government’s constant efforts to pretend it didn’t happen.
Contrast this with places like America, or especially Germany. Both countries have done awful things to minorities. They often put attention on those misdeeds to ensure future generations don’t repeat the mistakes. Now, it’s considered patriotic to protest poor government decisions.
America does WHAT now?
China has official death estimates so I don’t believe that they deny that anything at all happened.
Is it now? Would you say the student protests over Gaza are considered “patriotic” in mainstream American culture?
Exactly! And what’s the historical significance of the Holocaust? Why can’t people just get over it? I don’t really see why it warrants so much attention, in the grand scheme of things.
Comparing an incident where 11 million people were killed to one where hundreds of people were killed is a form of Holocaust denialism.
It’s significant as a potential turning point, in that it was an existential crisis for the Party and had it succeeded we’d be looking at a very different China today.
In Chinese politics I think you could argue that it was such a threatening and frankly embarrassing incident for the Party that they’ve been far more responsive to public attitudes since, to head-off the growth of oppositional-to-government movements again. I mean there’s a reason we haven’t seen anything remotely similar happen in China since.
In terms of how Westerners see it though, it’s not really significant beyond being a stick to beat China with. It was definitely a tragedy that should’ve been avoided, but the attention given to it over 30 years later is only there because it’s geopolitically convenient.