China declared martial law quite
quickly, but little was done until June 3rd when
tanks rolled into Tiananman Square, opening fire as they
progressed to clear the path through the protestors and bystanders,
thus ushering in a violent government crackdown throughout the city.
As a column of tanks rolled through on June 5th, they
started to break formation, what many people saw as a flagrant act of
arrogance, mocking the people and their powerlessness. Suddenly, an
unknown man took it upon himself to bravely walk out in front of the
tank that lead the column, stood in front of it, and even crawled up
on it and banged on the hatch. A single man stood alone in front of
the Chinese Army, and for a few moments, stopped its progress while
the world held its breath. The tank tried to turn to avoid him and
did not open fire. Men from the curb of the street stepped in to
usher the young man away quickly, and some unverified sources
reported that he was executed publicly in the many executions that
were aired on Chinese television over the next weeks that followed.
The momentary, bold act of courage
shown by this one unknown man changed both China and the world. His
act inspired the people of China from all walks of life to step
forward to call for acceptance of the principles of basic freedom.
The image of the lone man was later said to have inspired those who
participated in the dismantling of the Soviet Union. (“If Tank
Man could stand up to those Chinese tanks in Tiananman Square, I can
stand up to endure my opposition.”) As a direct result of this
one man's example, free trade and capitalism widely expanded across
China which greatly benefited the people there and gave them expanded
opportunities for free speech. (Not to say that more progress there
is not still desperately needed.) That single man took an
opportunity that the moment and circumstance gave him to stand up to
oppression. He literally changed the world and became one
of “the most important people of the [20th] Century.”
The
Asch Conformity Experiment demonstrates the great power that
social expectation creates for us and how difficult it is to resist
conformity with the consensus opinion when we find ourselves in
groups. As the Asch Experiment and other studies like the Milgram
Study point out to us (studies that sought to understand how the
WWII Holocaust could have possibly have taken place), the majority of
people will follow not only group consensus most of the time, they
will also follow the direction of an authority. Apart from the
pressure from others, we would often offer a different
response, but the influence to conform becomes quite difficult to
resist, even when we are pressured to behave unethically. It is a
part of our human nature.
Studies show that only an approximate
10% of people will resist these influences, offering an opinion or
response to the contrary of the pressured consensus, and something
wonderful happens when they do resist. That 10% of people who step
forward create a safe place for others to also resist, just like Tank
Man of Tiananmen Square. Dissidents encourage others to step forward
with them. In her book, Not
of My Making: Bullying, Scapegoating and Misconduct in Churches,
Margaret Jones offers an insightful review of the parallel findings
that come from the studies concerning bullying. The first person to
resist the pressure to keep silent and steps forward to challenge a
bully changes the whole dynamic of the group and takes undue power
away from the bully and equalizes it a bit for the group. When one
steps forward, generally step forward as well. Philip
Zimbardo encourages all people to become “everyday
heroes” who will cause that 10% to grow and to become the
consensus. If we can conform to evil, we can surely learn to resist
to support that which is good.
To those who had the courage yesterday to wear red to Bob Jones University to protest the abusive attitudes toward women and victims that the institution promotes, facilitates, and thus, teaches, today, I deem you the Tank Men (and Women) of your own Tiananmen Square. You did not brave death, but you braved fear, intimidation, and threats from authority. You've taken another great step of many recent ones to change that which is acceptable on campus at Bob Jones and admirable within the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist group.
The sanctuary in a church that has
served as an oasis of love for me in the past displays a slogan
discretely above the cross that reads, “Little
is much when God is in it.” The words of a popular
song also echo this message when it says that “little becomes much
when you place it in the Master's hands.” And as Chaucer
said in Troilus and Criseyde, “an
ook [oak tree] cometh of a litel spyr [a young, small sapling].”
Keep,
protect, and nurture these small beginnings, taking joy in them,
though they are yet small. Find the still place of peace and
strength (and the work of tension) that the Holy Spirit holds for you
between justice for the abused and love for BJU – between righteous anger and the most
honorable of behavior (Ephesians
4:26). In your heart, see that place grow through patient eyes
of expectation of the good that will come in its time. Look to the
Author and the Faithful Finisher of it – of all that He is doing
and all that He seeks to do in you.
Take time to learn more about the Tank Man of Tiananman Square.
