Two similar pics, two similar titles, vastly different reaction

[antihenry]

Interesting experiment.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sino/comments/crnusn/two_nearly_identical_pics_two_nearly_identical/

Submission 1:

"Russian teenager Olga Misik reading the Russian constitution while being surrounded by armed Russian riot police is one of the most powerful images of bravery against injustice and oppression I have seen. Reminds me of the Tiananmen Square Tank Man."
https://np.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/ckkzp9/russian_teenager_olga_misik_reading_the_russian/

Result:
67k upvotes, makes the front page, awarded Reddit Gold. Redditors praise the brave teenager for fighting against opressive Russian government.



Submission 2:

"This lone US protester being surrounded by armed American riot police is one of the most powerful images of bravery against injustice and oppression I have seen. Reminds me of the Tienanmen Square Tank Man."
https://np.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/ckn9rr/this_lone_us_protester_being_surrounded_by_armed/

Result:
53% downvoted, OP insulted in the comments, protester insulted in the comments. "Cops just doing their job".

 

[Andrew~]

The lesson is that context matters.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Why are the American police using wooden sticks? What happened the old tonfa/batons they used to have? The Russians have them.

I suppose it depends on what they were each protesting really.

 

[hobbers]

Female vs male.

Book vs tambourine

 

[KirkDuyt]

People on reddit are very mean to each other. No wonder kids are such cnuts these days. "autistic shill bootlicker NPC" What does it even mean? Well, I actually know what it means, but for feck's sake, speak normally.

 

[ivaldo]

Too right. Tambourines are shit.

 

[Ekkie Thump]

Misik reading the constitution is a current event. Her actions and the picture itself were widly reported even before that pic was submitted to reddit and have continued to be so. The protest of which it was a part is also a major one currently in the public eye. Meanwhile the other photograph is of some unnamed dude from St Paul in 2008.

Some protests garner images that stick in the public imagination, some do not. From recent memory this is the one from America that struck a chord: