Young people across the globe are taking to the streets in protest against their governments. From Madagascar, to Peru, to Indonesia, Generation Z is rising to express their growing discontent with their leaders. Gen Z consists of people born roughly between 1996 and 2010. They share a common perception of a world of increasing inequality, corruption, nepotism, corporate greed, and a bleak outlook regarding career prospects. This week in Madagascar, a group of protesters dubbed "Gen Z Madagascar" helped oust the country's president. Young Indonesians took part in deadly demonstrations over lawmakers' pay. In Morocco, people marched to call for better healthcare and education.
The protesters have two things in common. One is a growing exasperation about the state of the world; the other is the use of a flag from a Japanese manga called "One Piece". The flag depicts a skull with a straw hat and crossed bones. In the manga, a group of pirates fly the flag and fight against oppressive governments and injustice. In real life, the flag has appeared on banners and social media, and seen in graffiti worldwide. Al Jazeera reported that in protests in Nepal, the flag was painted on murals, hung from vehicles, and was displayed in place of national flags. It added: "It is used partly in satire, partly as a statement: rejecting the status quo, calling out what protesters see as failures of governance."
全球各地的年輕人正走上街頭抗議政府。從馬達加斯加、秘魯到印尼，Z世代紛紛挺身表達對領導階層日益高漲的不滿情緒。Z世代指出生於1996年至2010年間的族群，他們共同感知到世界正走向更嚴重的階級不平等、貪腐、裙帶關係、企業剝削，並對職業前景感到悲觀。本週馬達加斯加的「Z世代馬達加斯加」抗爭團體成功促使總統下台；印尼青年因不滿國會議員薪資而發起致命示威；摩洛哥民眾則為爭取更完善的醫療與教育體系而上街遊行。
這些抗爭者具備兩大共同特徵：其一是對現世局勢日益強烈的憤慨，其二是對日本漫畫《航海王》中旗幟的運用。這面繪有草帽骷髏與交叉骨頭的旗幟，在故事中代表著反抗壓迫體制與不公義的海賊團。現實世界裡，這面旗幟不僅出現在全球各地的標語、塗鴉與社群媒體中，半島電視台更直擊尼泊爾示威現場將該旗幟繪製於壁畫、懸掛於車輛，甚至取代國旗飄揚。報導指出：「此舉既是諷喻，亦是宣言：既否定現行體制，也直指抗議者眼中的執政失能。」
