I’m very proud of our youngest generations, Generations Alpha and Z. We’ve come up with brainrot like “Linganguli,” “6-7,” “FAH!” and so much more. We’re really one of a kind when you take a step back and notice how much social media has enabled us. You know what’s the most recent thing I’m proud of Gen Z for? The revolts across the world where we stand up to corrupt systems and injustice. We’ve seen it happen in Indonesia, Palestine, Madagascar, Morocco, Peru and most recently, Nepal.
Nepal’s youth overthrew their government, burned their parliament building, elected an interim prime minister and cleaned the streets of Kathmandu in the span of four days. Four days, as in 96 hours. In just 96 hours, they ran through historical events that would normally take years to unfold. To say this is an incredible feat would be a criminal understatement.
The country faced many problems prior to the revolt; high youth unemployment and underemployment rates left recent college graduates mismatched to market needs. The government’s inability to diversify beyond tourism and remittances has tanked investments in the country, and Nepal’s economic growth is expected to fall below 1%. The youth felt as if their future was being robbed before their eyes, without a chance to save it. The former government was also riddled with corruption, with several high-ranking officials under investigation or facing criminal charges.
British YouTuber, Harry “wehatethecold” Jackson, uploaded a YouTube video of Nepal’s revolution during his brief time in the country. He vlogged his experience in the country, seeing protestors get closer to the parliament building as they pushed back the police, destroyed police cars, tore apart military gear and burned their parliament building. In this video, he notes the humanity of the Nepali protestors as they constantly took care of the injured people in the protest and gave out water to people who needed it because they were thirsty or had tear gas in their eyes. Throughout the video, he’s running with the protestors as they try to avoid tear gas, rubber bullets and smoke grenades as the military tries to break up the crowds.
When I first saw this video, I was glued to it. You can see the spirit of the youth everywhere, with people having their cameras out, capturing burning rubble, protestors pushing the line closer to the parliament building and people showing their outrage with the current government. You can hear in multiple instances, “F**k Oli,” who was the Prime Minister of Nepal at the time.
The people of Nepal came together for such a beautiful cause, and I’m a fan of taking down corrupt systems. Their outrage, passion and courage were something I appreciated deeply, even though I was watching these people fight for their futures from the comfort of my room. I remember thinking to myself, “Damn! I really wish I were there. How cool would it have been to see a country united fighting back?”
And you know what’s the cherry on top that proves this was a revolt championed by the youth? The Straw Hat Pirates’ Jolly Roger flag from Japanese manga and anime “One Piece” being flown. I’m an absolute fan of the show, so when I saw the Jolly Roger in front of the burning parliament building, I shed a tear.
The show “One Piece” follows our main character Monkey D. “Straw Hat Luffy” Luffy as he travels with his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, in order to become the King of the Pirates. Luffy travels to different islands with their own societies and finds a way to liberate people from their respective struggles. These struggles include usurpation, human trafficking, slavery, genocide, racism, conspiracy, racketeering, organized crime and so much more. While Luffy himself doesn’t call himself a hero, he is a man who stands up to people, be it other pirates or the corrupt World Government, who are taking away the freedom of others. His commitment to standing up against all oppressors is shared by the rest of his crew, since they each have their own “impossible” dream they want to achieve. This ideology of the show constantly reminds the viewers of this, and in Nepal’s case, it allowed young people to use the Straw Hat Jolly Roger as a symbol for these beliefs, to stand up to those who are taking away the freedom of others.
I love this show since it has never failed to give me this feeling of inspiration and I’m elated that Nepalese citizens represented this in their protest. I think Gen Z as a whole is standing up to these corrupt powers, and we’ve seen the Jolly Roger flown in other countries, like Indonesia and Palestine. This is a massive win for the Nepali’s and their future, hopefully America can learn a lesson from this
Gabriel Capellan, FCRH ’28, is a journalism major from the Bronx, New York.
