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Journalism of Courage
A ubiquitous presence of Gen Z protests worldwide has been the pirate flag, featuring a skull and crossbones, or a jolly roger wearing a straw hat.
The Jolly Roger was historically used by pirates to instil fear in approaching ships. In One Piece, a Japanese manga (or comic book) by artist Eiichiro Oda, the skull wears a straw hat and a grin to represent the odd bunch of misfits, the Straw Hat Pirates, led by the rubber-bodied Monkey D Luffy.
The graphic novel series was first published in 1997 — coincidentally, the year that separates the Gen Z from Millennials. It has now reached its final saga and is expected to end in a few years. Luffy, the protagonist of the series, leads a motley crew, fending off repressive rulers and the corrupt ‘World Government’. United under the straw-hatted Jolly Roger flag, these ‘outlaws’ came to represent liberation and resilience. A generation that grew up watching them, and now finds itself disenchanted by the powers that be, resonated with the Straw-Hat Pirates, turning them into symbols of modern protests.
The flag first cropped up at pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Indonesia and New York in 2023.
