A publicly engaged writing on the use of humorous slogans in the recent Myanmar protests against the military coup in the aftermath of Feb 1, 2021.
"February 1, 2021 (or 1221, as the day is now being called) marked a new era of political involvement in Myanmar. During the night, the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) decided to disregard the November, 2019 election results, which had given the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, a powerful majority. The Tatmadaw seized power while arresting her and many activists, and calling a national state of emergency.
Everyone I know in Myanmar, including my immediate family, is participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). Civil service employees have refused to go to work as a peaceful way of showing their disagreement with the coup. Citizens in Yangon and other cities have marched and protested, and at 8pm each night, they call for the generals to step down by honking car horns and banging pots and pans. At the moment, the CDM has spread beyond the large cities across the country and has become the most salient formal resistance against the coup..."