It’s April 22nd and the world is still bizarre! Tabloids, newspapers, and anchors have been talking all day about Indonesia’s missing submarine. It’s a really interesting moment for me because I was taken aback by a video I saw a couple weeks ago about Indonesia’s economic troubles from COVID-19, specifically the silver people of Jakarta. I won’t pontificate on that but I’ll include a link to a great Guardian article illustrating the tragedy of their workforce (I was going to write a piece sort of comparing the Silver guy from Venice Beach to the Silver people of Jakarta but it was too cumbersome). But it’s funny how when things go missing it’s a much bigger story than an entire country fighting for democracy and livable/workable conditions #FORTHEVIEWS (but I get it I mean I’m writing a story about both things so). 

The best part of the coverage is that right underneath nearly every news outlet’s article decks is buried a headline that mentions an ASEAN summit meeting to discuss the growing crisis in Myanmar. 

Here are two things I know: 1) I’ve never heard of ASEAN. 2) They are the only force being called upon by the people of Myanmar to issue change. 

So while Indonesia troubles itself with missing submarines and starving silver people, Myanmar, Indonesia’s ally in ASEAN, is dealing with the absence of democracy. 

If you don’t know, you might recall that viral video circulating of that lady doing yoga in Myanmar while a military coup was taking place unbeknownst to her. Well, that wasn’t just a funny video you show your friends, it was a legit coup (sorta like the one we had here but without the selfies and Pabst Blue Ribbon). One might even say that it was a successful coup in that they hogtied Myanmar’s elected officials and leader Ms. Suu Kyi in an “undisclosed location,” according to, well nobody specifically: it’s undisclosed, but in this day and age what qualifies as a successful coup I do not know. 

This comes after mounting critiques of Myanmar’s election process from its Military Leader, Min Aung Hlaing. Hlaing was a pretty big threat to Myanmar’s judiciary, well Myanmar is a threat to Myanmar’s judiciary. Here’s how it plays out from my research: 

• 2008 Myanmar implements a new constitution that appeases Saffron Revolution issues (the government was in control of the price of fuel and it was insanely high, among other civil rights issues) 
• 2015 Myanmar holds its first democratic election and gets the National League for Democracy all up in their judiciary guts, even Suu Kyi is appointed by the NLD leader, Htin Kyaw, as the head of the civilian government. 
  • (One thing to note, in 2008 when those reforms were taking place, they slipped in that the military could still carry a majority of the power though this was not publicly or privately disputed.) 
• 2020 Myanmar had its second elections and again the NLD overwhelmed the votes and took home the prize. This is where we enter the upside-down. Hlaing and his goons see this landslide as a fairytale, one they’re about to turn into a nightmare. A military coup happens, and Suu Kyi is thrown into her second “undisclosed location” (sorry, I forgot to mention she had the same thing happen by the same military party like 12 years earlier which trickled into the Saffron Revolution later.) 

And now, we wait for the ASEAN summit meeting to see what Myanmar’s future holds. The meeting is unorthodox as the summit has low-key been giving Myanmar the cold shoulder because they’ve already had so many conflicts and so much global help. 

Unfortunately, the Philippines president already RSVP’d no, so it’s not looking great but Hlaing will be there so that’s gonna be interesting to see. I believe it will be on the 24th, so keep your ears and eyes peeled. 

The reason I think we Americans should take a harder look at this moment in Myanmar’s history is because it speaks volumes about our own circumstances and problems. Myanmar is a wonderfully and sometimes unfortunately diverse place, and so is America. It’s had an embattled history with its leaders and founders (like America), and an even more confusing and appalling relationship with its free press and networking capabilities (not like they have bad wifi, they have regularly been suppressing the internet to hide any videos or pictures of the abhorrent conditions they’ve placed their citizens (even medical students) in, all for wanting democracy.) 

Further, if you’re at all a fan of art, you must care about this. It’s a revolution man. There are people that have probably 80% of the same problems you have: their car doesn’t do well on gas, they have a lot of work to get finished for the week, their rent is due, oh, and their GOVERNMENT WAS JUST SUCCESSFULLY OVERTURNED BY THE MILITARY.

Democracy anywhere is democracy for everyone. I may not be some wise politician, I may just be sitting in my well-tempered room on the west coast of America musing on some privilege but fuck if I don’t want to see people around the world enjoying the same sort of freedoms I have.

If you want to help in any way, I will leave a link to something but IDK man how can we ever help in these circumstances? I’m freakin thousands of miles away and I have no money. I can’t even help myself. For me, the best thing I can do is educate my friends and peers, be aware of what’s happening in the world, maybe you meet someone from Myanmar, ask them if they have some family there and if they’re alright, or just be extra nice to them. Everyone’s got their own shit, but Myanmar’s shit is revolutionary