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View all search resultsAs the world's grabby geezers unite, Gen Z is left in the dust
The anger is mostly directed against corruption and incompetence displayed by members of the ruling elite who seem to be oblivious to problems affecting these young people; from a lack of stable jobs to unaffordable housing, to a rising cost of living, genocide and the looming climate crisis.
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In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, President Prabowo Subianto (front left) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (front center) pose for a photograph alongside China's President Xi Jinping before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, 2025. (AFP/Sergey Bobylev)
Young people the world over seem to be really angry right now.
From Jakarta to Kathmandu and Antananarivo, these young people, especially members of the so-called “Gen Z”, fly Japanese anime pirate flags and have begun raging against corrupt regimes.
The anger is mostly directed against corruption and incompetence displayed by members of the ruling elite who seem to be oblivious to problems affecting these young people; from a lack of stable jobs to unaffordable housing, to a rising cost of living, genocide and the looming climate crisis.
As we saw in Nepal’s Gen Z uprising, the way these young protesters lashed out against members of the ruling elite, as well as the physical violence that they inflicted on senior government officials, it seems that they are going after the biggest culprits responsible for society’s ills.
And for members of Gen Z, it is clear to them that it is the old people who are responsible for their problems.
The current global median age is 30.9 years, which means that half of the world’s population is younger than that age, but everywhere you look it seems that an octogenarian former businessman or a septuagenarian ex-military general is in charge of a political regime.
Both in Nepal and Indonesia, Gen-Z protesters took to the streets to protest against policies drawn up by incumbent leaders who shared the same year of birth. President Prabowo Subianto and the ousted Nepali prime minister Sharma Oli were both 73 years old when protests in their respective countries took place.
