Miles Boyko, Staff Writer–
It is a shame that what is happening in South and Southeast Asia. If it had happened in Europe, or maybe a little closer to home, I bet we would all be in the streets right now.
For those unfamiliar, university students in Nepal have led protests against governmental corruption in the country, toppling the government and electing a new one in just four days. These protests mirror those that toppled the governments of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2024 and 2022, respectively.
Gen Z-led protests have been popping up throughout the world, from Kenya to Germany to Indonesia. But no such movement has happened on a large scale within the U.S.
With our current administration’s attempts to repeal civil liberties and engage in open corruption through pay-to-play programs and vast lobbying campaigns, we face a similar political landscape to that of South and Southeast Asia. Our current two-party system resembles that of Nepal, with both parties collaborating when pressured by large corporations or special interest groups but otherwise neglecting the needs of the people when it comes to balancing the budget or providing basic services.
A large wealth gap means that there are fewer opportunities for social mobility and fewer people in power willing to solve that problem.
This inequality and political corruption hits youth, such as us, particularly hard, as we haven’t had time to build a safety net for ourselves, nor to develop skills that make us irreplaceable in our current position. Combining that with the slow degradation of our checks on executive power, including societal ones such as the media and free activism, Gen Z in America is losing what little political power they had.
The No Kings protests have proven that this administration is not susceptible to the normal American signs of dissent. No number of people waving signs on a sidewalk can overpower the monetary and political will of this administration. Civil disobedience and rapid violation of the status quo are needed.
Continued disruption of the norm is likely the youth’s most powerful political tool to pressure the government to change. However, unlike in Nepal, a U.S. Gen Z protest cannot simply force the government to flee and elect a new one in a week via Discord.
Besides the obvious international focus and large population that makes a Discord vote logistically impossible or at least unsafe, the U.S. differs from these South Asian countries in terms of demographics and geographics, which make such a sweeping youth protest unwise.
Firstly, unlike South and Southeast Asia, which have a disproportionately younger population, the U.S. has a relatively level population pyramid, meaning that there are similar numbers of older people as there are of younger people. This means that a lower percentage of the population can identify and empathize with Gen-Z issues. It also means that social media platforms used by youth will have less of an audience.
Geographically, the U.S. doesn’t have a singular population center. Urban areas generally have less power than in nations such as Nepal and Sri Lanka, and are more numerous. Controlling the streets of D.C is inconsequential, as the government could just move to another city temporarily. Even if multiple cities end up being disrupted, the government will likely have options other than to flee the country, as the governments of South Asia did.
When it comes to influencing or changing this administration and our current political trajectory, rapid civil disobedience is needed. But believing that American youth could quickly depose our current government is just handing the administration the short-lived crisis they are looking for. In order for such action to be successful, we must look to adjust any youth movement to include appeals to other members of society and make sure that it is secured for a longer and more complex campaign.
Miles Boyko ‘28 is an international studies major from St. Louis.