Our generation has received a constant stream of criticism for our lack of activism and for our political apathy.  For some reason, today’s youth does not share the same passion for bra-burning, public protesting, and manifested rebellion that defined the American youth in the 60s and 70s.  However according to the results from the 2008 election (and MGMT) “the youth is starting to change”. The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, better known as CIRCLE, analyzed the voter turnout this past election, and found that the number of young voters between the ages of 18-30, increased by 3.4 million from 2004, and was up 11% from 2000.  What is even more shocking is that the youth vote overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama, who outweighed John McCain by 50% in the youth segment.  The increase in youth participation in this past election was a big step forward, but it leaves us with some unanswered questions: What caused young people to be so involved, and will this new wave of political activism carry out as the Obama administration takes hold in Washington? One way to look at the situation is to recognize first the attention given to this election by those who were formerly politically apathetic.  Before Obama, many young people simply didn’t pay attention to politics.  One example of this trend is Anya Graetch, a Cornell student of Fine Arts who up until the 2008 election had considered politics a non-issue.  Anya recalls: “I guess I never really followed politics.  The New York Times is always sitting on my table at home, but I really only look at the pictures (she laughs); I’m a terrible, terrible citizen.” This casual awareness of politics was not atypical before the election began, and as publicity of the candidates increased, so did youth voter interest.  Even those who previously had no concern for politics began to follow.  Anya explained her new interest, by saying: “I did watch the debates because I had to vote, so I tried to understand what was going on.” Civic responsibility was not the only reason that influenced new attention to politics.  This particular election was special.  The historical significance of minority candidates like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, and Sarah Palin brought a refreshed sense of diversity to the political arena.  At the 63rd annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Barack Obama joked about the origin of his name saying that, “Barack is a name given to me by my father [which means blessed in African], and my middle name was given to me by someone who never thought I would run for president”.  This infusion of new representation in the government really called out to a young generation who is growing up in an America where racial and gender diversity is celebrated more than anyone to have come before us. Aside from the candidates, one force in the 2008 election proved to be more powerful and more effective than any other measure in inspiring youth participation: Barack Obama’s campaign.  A Cornell Professor of public opinion, Peter Enns, described the Obama campaign as, “having a bandwagon effect.  People wanted to be involved.” The nature of the Obama campaign catered to young voters, not with its policies, but with its popular appeal. MTV’s “Rock the Vote” and news crew frequently met with representative of the Obama campaign, bringing the Obama into a young medium.  On top of that, musicians, and artists joined together to create imagery and music that expressed the novelty and passion behind the Obama Platform. Musicians like U2, Nas, Diddy, the Dixie Chicks, and many more all made politics the motivation behind their music, and spoke on behalf of Obama and his campaign for change.  Will.I.am’s “Yes We Can” video inspired millions to pick up the cause, and filled the Obama campaign with nuance about the historical path that led to the campaign, and the impact that it has for the youth at present. Imagery became extremely important as well.  Obama T-shirts, pins, and apparel helped make the campaign trendy.  “The most interesting part of the campaign was the image and how it was used as an art form,” says Anya.  “It was the cool thing to do.” So, what was it then?  The pop cultural endorsements, the celebrity, the history, or some combination that caused the youth take action for Obama?  Understanding the cause might help us gauge how long this activism will last. Professor Enns seems to think that the campaign may no have been the only factor, suggesting that, “the strategy of the campaign presented the opportunity to mobilize public opinion, but the context, low Bush approval ratings and the sliding economy, was really the driving force.”  He then continued projecting that, “If the economy changes or unemployment is high, whether or not that context will prompt disillusionment or not is tough to say, but ultimately it’s that context that going to matter.” If this is true, then we will have to wait and see whether or not Obama’s policies are successful in improving our national situation. But what happens until then? History shows that attention to politics is generally higher around the election, and if we followed the pattern, our generation could recoil back into our political ignorance.  However, there might be something different this time around that will move people to stay involved. Just take a look at this past semester’s Student Assembly elections.  SA member Nikki Junewicz says, “There’s been a record number of people running for the Student Assembly this semester, so it really has been an election year in many ways.” She then adds, “Even our convocation speaker played a role in the election.”  It may just be that we are still riding the election wave, but it also seems that people really are affected by this election. Another member of Student Assembly, Nikhil Kumar, believes that the intensity of the election really got a permanent hold on young voters through its importance and intensity.  “I was kind of obsessed with the election,” Nikhil says.  “I followed polls and updates regularly.  It was exciting!”  When asked whether or not this involvement would have lasting effects, Nikhil responded by saying that, “people will be interested in Obama because they’re connected with him, they campaigned with him, and they want him to succeed.” The grassroots nature of this election really brought a lot of people together, and made Obama’s success dependent on voter involvement.  By opting out of public funding for the campaign, Obama called upon the support of Americans to dedicate themselves financially and emotionally to his run for the office.  He networked with the youth with tools like facebook, YouTube, and on campus groups, and his efforts may have inspired young people to remain involved. Of her involvement in Student Assembly, Nikki said: “It’s good to get out of your bubble.  It makes you feel like a fully functioning member of society.” Many young American’s now share this same understanding of political involvement from their experiences on the campaign trail, and this taste of the political action may work to raise post election attention to what’s going on in Washington. Tom Brokaw expressed a similar sentiment in his analysis of what’s going to happen in post-election America, as this newfound political interest lingers in the hearts of many Americans.  Speaking with NBC, Brokaw said: “I don’t think we’ve fully caught up with what’s happened here, but when the Obama family takes up residence in the White House, there’s going to be a cultural change in America, and I don’t think we’re going to understand how sweeping it’s going to be.  People are going to go to Washington, and they’re going to want to work for the government in a way that hasn’t been see for the past twenty years.” According to Brokaw, this desire to get involved and remain active in current events and American government might have a lasting presence, and could contribute to a new sense of patriotism that has been lost during the Bush administration.  Brokaw followed up by saying: “That’s what this country needs, and it’s what I’ve been calling a re-enlistment of citizenship.” I set out with the notion that I would discover a regression of political interest in America’s youth, and have found that we may witness quite the opposite over the next couple of years.  While our nation faces many challenges (the failing economy, our presence in Iraq, and the energy crisis, just to name a few), our generation may just be able to pull it together and prove that our political interest and support of the new administration will not waiver. There’s been something phenomenal about the 2008 election that cannot be explained by simply examining history, the campaign, or nature of election time. Apathy and disinterest will plague the youth no longer, as Obama’s call for change is met with a passion and urgency that will keep young Americans involved for quite some time, and we may just witness a revival in an active and political youth. Author: Nicole Antonuccio