In the US, many members of Generation Z (Gen Z) believe that democracy is at risk from threats that Gen...
by Simone Colburn, October 21, 2025
November 08, 2025 05:40 EDT
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Forget everything you think you know about revolution. The old model with stern-faced guards, manifestos and uniforms is obsolete. The new generation is taking action, and they’re not waiting for a leader to tell them what to do. They’re creating their own approach, using humor and cultural references like anime that catch the old guard off guard.
This isn’t a lack of seriousness. It’s a new kind of seriousness, an “unseriousness”. Generation Z isn’t just protesting power; they are trolling it into irrelevance.
Look at the imagery. In the 2025 Nepalese protests, one piece imagery is the closest you’ll get to a uniform. In Morocco, as Gen Z demonstrators demand education reform and accountability, their social media is a blend of protest footage and pop culture. This isn’t a coincidence. It’s a deliberate signal.
Using anime and meme culture creates an immediate visual language that sets them apart from the political establishments they reject. They’re fighting for a future they feel has been stolen.
The methods used to radicalize this generation are the same methods they use to organize. The pipeline isn’t through dusty political pamphlets; it’s through TikTok think pieces, virality and coded discussions in Discord servers and Telegram channels.
They’re not radicalized by one ideology but by a shared experience of broken systems. The methods are the same because the medium is the message. A viral meme explaining complex policy is both education and a call to action. A shared anime screenshot signals alliance faster than any slogan. This decentralized, culturally fluid approach makes them incredibly resilient. You can’t erase an idea if it’s dressed as a cartoon.
This unseriousness is their smartest tactic. When Moroccan youth stage a sit-in, they frame it with the same humor they use online. Nepalese protesters recreated couples’ trends in the midst of smoke.
This does two things. First, it shields them psychologically. Facing police batons and a bleak future is crushing. Memes, music, shared aesthetics — they’re connections. They build community and keep morale alive under overwhelming pressure. “This is why we’re risking our lives to protest,” shows that the stakes are real, but they’re just being handled with jokes.
Second, it’s a weapon that confuses those in power. State security knows how to handle angry mobs but has no playbook for naked protests or dance challenges, so when violence starts, it looks absurd and unnecessary.
The protesters aren’t just winning the streets; they’re winning the narrative by refusing to protest the way the state expects. Keep in mind, these are the same kids that dealt with recessions, school shootings and a whole pandemic. They’re told they are lazy and have it easy, and are often looked at as a joke, so they became the comedians, staging a global roast of the powerful. Madagascar succeeded in forcing its now former President Andry Rajoelina to run away after facing crippling water and electricity shortages. Peru has been in unrest since September, and Nepal built a revolution on Discord.
At the same time, Morocco’s Gen Z protesters, organized by an anonymous group called GenZ 212, used TikTok, Instagram and Discord to coordinate demands for education and healthcare reform. Their tactics spread to Kenya, Indonesia and the Philippines, decentralized, digitally coordinated, culturally rich and connected across borders. Why create a new game plan when those already worked?
This shift runs deep. For a generation facing overlapping crises, old-school solemnity leads straight to burnout. Humor becomes a weaponized coping mechanism, a way to deal with the unbearable without being consumed.
It’s also a hard truth. In an attention economy, you must capture the algorithm to capture the moment. A grim speech might get a 15-second news clip. A brilliantly absurd street act or viral dance for a cause can garner a million views on TikTok. It’s a decentralized, self-spreading media strategy that old power structures can’t control.
The world is on fire. The old guard waits for a revolution that looks like those in history books, preparing for a fight of fists. But the new resistance wins with a dance. They’re proving the strongest way to challenge a broken system is to build a more compelling, more joyful world in its shadow.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.
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