Nonetheless, one student did get an opportunity to speak at the microphone as a result of the protest. Organizers saw their activism in this case as a clear success. Millions of viewers watching the town hall meeting were supposed to see a united U.S. front against Hussein, but what they saw instead was that not every U.S. citizen supported U.S. military actions in Iraq. Studies do suggest that students are highly skeptical of politics, politicians, and government, but cynicism about organized politics does not necessarily equal apathy. In fact such cynicism has caused many students to focus on local problems and community issues, seeing them as more manageable and subject to real intervention.
Students often work on issues outside the two-party political arena and at multiple levels.
Yet the national media tends not to cover this level of student involvement in civic life. The reality is that students are as activist as ever. In fact, a study conducted by Arthur Levine and Jeannette S. Cureton suggests that today's students may be the most socially active generation since the late 1930s. In addition, today's activism involves a generation of students more diverse racially and economically than ever before. The demographics of this generation and the political context in which they grew up influences what matters to them.