Stop

There is a certain irony that, in a world where people with nothing to say are desperately searching for their 15 minutes of fame, today is the anniversary of a crushed attempt at democracy. The irony is that the defining image of Tiananmen Square is that of a man standing in front of a tank, trying to turn it back. While here we have people trying to show themselves off on "Britains Got Talent", "Big Brother" (back this week), "The Apprentice" and a host of other reality shows. And yet that man, with what appeared initially a futile gesture after so many deaths the day before, is only known as "Tank Man". No-one knows who he was, what his name was, where he came from, or where he has gone. No-one knows what he shouted at the tank once he had clambered on its roof. No-one knows what it was that gave him the strength to stand there blocking the icon of war and destruction. The gesture was not futile as it gave inspiration, it gave hope. It was not futile because it demonstrated that one individual can rise above the dross. It was the complete opposite of all that reality TV represents. It was a real moment of reality.