The political world was shaken this past week when it was finally announced that an impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump would formally begin.
As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confidently delivered the news — which a great deal of the country had been speculating for a long time — the waning years of the current administration were given a swift and momentous redefinition.
It is reasonable to assume that anyone with the slightest interest in politics found this news jarring. But as I have looked upon the wider social scene in the wake of this announcement, the group with the most enigmatic reaction appears to be the youth — college-aged youth, to be exact.
From the time of the announcement, I observed, overheard and participated in countless discussions regarding the entire situation.
As if the constant and overbearing presence of climate change was not enough to keep us talking politics last week, this bombshell of a declaration incited an even stronger interest and enthusiasm in the minds of students all around Boston University’s campus.
Regardless of one’s take on the validity of the impeachment inquiry itself, the very fact that it has provoked so much discussion is exceptionally important when considering the increase in political awareness for people our age.
Times like these should not be taken lightly. But will the response from the public always be as telling as the announcement itself?
From my perspective, the typical BU student and their reaction is absolutely telling given the rise of the youth’s ability to express its voice in today’s society.
In a time that sees newsworthy events repeatedly shoved in our faces through social media, the sheer magnitude of this proclamation effectively placed it on such a higher level comparatively.
If a moment can transcend the realms of social media discussion and consistently make its way into real life conversations within the youth, there is obviously a reason. In this case, that reason is a moment that many young voters have been looking forward to for a very long time.
