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."
Stating an opinion
- In my opinion...
- The way I see it...
- If you want my honest opinion....
- According to Lisa...
- As far as I'm concerned...
- If you ask me...
Asking for an opinion
- What's your idea?
- What are your thoughts on all of this?
- How do you feel about that?
- Do you have anything to say about this?
- What do you think?
- Do you agree?
- Wouldn't you say?
Expressing agreement
- I agree with you 100 percent.
- I couldn't agree with you more.
- That's so true.
- That's for sure.
- (slang) Tell me about it!
- You're absolutely right.
- Absolutely.
- That's exactly how I feel.
- Exactly.
- I'm afraid I agree with James.
- I have to side with Dad on this one.
- No doubt about it.
- (agree with negative statement) Me neither.
- (weak) I suppose so./I guess so.
- You have a point there.
- I was just going to say that.
Expressing disagreement
- I don't think so.
- (strong) No way.
- I'm afraid I disagree.
- (strong) I totally disagree.
- I beg to differ.
- (strong) I'd say the exact opposite.
- Not necessarily.
- That's not always true.
- That's not always the case.
- No, I'm not so sure about that.
Interruptions
- Can I add something here?
- Is it okay if I jump in for a second?
- If I might add something...
- Can I throw my two cents in?
- Sorry to interrupt, but...
- (after accidentally interrupting someone) Sorry, go ahead. OR Sorry, you were saying...
- (after being interrupted) You didn't let me finish.
Settling an argument
- Let's just move on, shall we?
- Let's drop it.
- I think we're going to have to agree to disagree.
- (sarcastic) Whatever you say./If you say so.
